Increasing Number of 'Solo Self-Employed'... Growing Calls for 'Differentiated Minimum Wage Application'

'Solo Self-Employed' Increase for Two Consecutive Months from February
Small Business Owners "Minimum Wage Should Be Differentiated by Industry"

The number of ‘solo self-employed’ without employees is on the rise. Amid worsening various indicators such as economic outlook, voices calling for differentiated minimum wage application by industry, centered on small business owners, are growing.

According to the Small and Medium Venture Business Research Institute’s small business trends on the 19th, the number of self-employed without employees increased for two consecutive months from February to April.

The number of self-employed without employees rose from 4.079 million in February to 4.151 million in March. In April, it increased further to 4.204 million. During the same period, the number of self-employed with employees decreased. It dropped from 1.436 million in February to 1.419 million in March, and further declined to 1.417 million in April. While the total number of self-employed is increasing, the proportion of ‘solo self-employed’ within the total self-employed is expanding.

The economic outlook is deteriorating. According to a survey by the Small Enterprise and Market Service, the June Small Business Sentiment Index (BSI) was 67.4, down 7.0 points from the previous month. It has fallen for two consecutive months since April. A BSI above 100 means more businesses see the economy as improving, while below 100 means more see it as worsening. In particular, the June BSI forecast is 13.4 points lower than last year.

On the 18th, the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise held a press conference to announce the position of small business owners on the minimum wage. (Photo by Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise)

As self-employed reduce employment and the business environment worsens day by day, calls to improve the minimum wage system are growing. On the 18th, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business held a ‘2025 Minimum Wage Small Business Position Announcement Press Conference’ urging ▲ implementation of differentiated minimum wage by industry ▲ improvement of the minimum wage system ▲ abolition of weekly holiday allowance, among others.

At the press conference, Kim Seong-su, CEO of a PC bang, lamented, “Many owners are working 10 to 16 hours without a day off due to minimum wage increases.”

Regarding this, Yoo Ki-jun, acting president of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, explained, “There is a strong demand for differentiated application in industries such as convenience stores, coffee shops, and PC bangs, where low-skilled beginners without special skills or related experience can easily enter with a low hurdle, and labor productivity is also low.” He added, “Differentiated application by industry should be implemented to provide workers with opportunities to gain social experience while lowering labor cost burdens to maintain employment.”

Meanwhile, the Minimum Wage Commission is continuing discussions to decide next year’s minimum wage. Key issues include the minimum wage level, differentiated application by industry, and minimum wage for subcontracted workers.