2030 MZ Teachers' Complaints: "Considering Job Change Due to Salary"

Teachers Identify 'Definite Improvement in Treatment' as the Most Urgent Task

Nine out of ten teachers in their 20s and 30s revealed that they consider changing jobs because of their salary.

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) announced on the 3rd that a survey on 'salary satisfaction' was conducted from the 8th to the 27th of last month targeting 4,603 teachers in their 20s and 30s from kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, and the results showed this.

At the general rally for the survival rights of public officials and teachers held last August in front of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance at the Government Sejong Complex, organized by the Joint Struggle Committee for the Survival Rights of Public Officials and Teachers (Gongtuwi), participants are shouting slogans.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

When asked if they had ever considered changing jobs because of their salary, 86.0% of respondents, or 3,960 teachers, answered yes. Those who said they had never considered changing jobs accounted for 14.0%, or 643 teachers.

When asked if they were satisfied with their salary, 65.0% of respondents, or 2,993 teachers, answered 'very dissatisfied.' Adding the 1,284 teachers (27.9%) who chose 'dissatisfied,' a total of 4,277 teachers (92.9%) responded negatively. Those who answered 'so-so' were 295 (6.4%), and only 0.7% of the total respondents answered 'satisfied' (26) or 'very satisfied' (5).

The KFTA pointed out, "Over the past three years, the average annual salary increase rate has been in the 1% range, while inflation has been soaring in the opposite direction, and allowances such as teacher allowances have remained stagnant for 24 years, along with pension deterioration, causing the economic status of teachers to decline steadily."

They added, "Almost all teachers in their 20s and 30s expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the proposals agreed upon and recommended by the Public Officials Salary Committee," and "Moreover, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced a 3% public servant wage increase budget lower than the recommended proposal, which further fueled opposition."

Survey Results by KFTA [Provided by Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations]

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the public servant salary increase rates were 0.9% in 2021, 1.4% in 2022, and 1.7% in 2023, rarely exceeding around 1%. These figures fall short of the consumer price inflation rates over the past three years.

Regarding public servant (private school) pensions, 93.9% of teachers responded that they are 'not at an expected level.' In this regard, the KFTA stated, "The merit of pensions has been diluted, and repeated 1% level wage increases have been made as a matter of 'full responsibility' rather than 'shared burden,' increasing skepticism about the teaching profession and anxiety about the future among young teachers."

Regarding the establishment of a 'Teacher Salary Committee' system that includes teacher representatives in the Public Officials Salary Committee, 95.0% of respondents supported it. Also, when asked about their perception of public servant or private school pensions, 93.9% said they are 'not at an expected level.'

When asked about solutions to the decline in the entrance cutoff scores for teacher colleges and the trend of teachers in their 20s and 30s leaving the profession, the most common response, at 53.9%, was 'definite improvement in treatment.' 'Guaranteeing teacher authority by resolving issues such as teacher rights and complaints' was 37.5%, 'improving working conditions such as eliminating unnecessary tasks' was 5.2%, and 'improving welfare' was 1.9%, in that order.

The KFTA urged the government and the National Assembly to improve teacher treatment. At 3 p.m. that day, a press conference was held in front of the Ministry of Personnel Management in Sejong, with participation from the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations, Sejong Teachers' Association, and Health Teachers' Association, appealing, "Please raise teachers' morale and lay the foundation for educational development through appropriate salary increases and allowance adjustments," and "We urge an increase in teacher allowances so that early-career teachers can take pride and devote themselves to educational activities."