[News Issue] The Proportion of Non-Regular Workers Hits the Second Highest Level in History

The proportion of non-regular workers among wage workers has been found to approach 40%. This is the second highest figure since related statistics began to be compiled in 2003.

Source: Statistics Korea

According to Statistics Korea's "Supplementary Survey on Employment Types of the Economically Active Population in August 2024," the number of regular workers in August last year recorded 13,685,000, a decrease of 147,000 compared to the same month the previous year. This is the first decline in regular workers in three years since August 2021.

On the other hand, the number of non-regular workers increased by 337,000 during the same period to 8,459,000. Their share rose by 1.2 percentage points to 38.2%, marking an increase for the first time in three years. This is the second highest proportion since August 2021, when the share of non-regular workers was at its peak of 38.4%.

The average monthly wage of non-regular workers reached 2,048,000 KRW, surpassing 2 million KRW for the first time. This increase was influenced by a rise of 91,000 KRW compared to the same month last year.

However, regular workers saw their wages increase by 173,000 KRW during the same period, widening the wage gap between non-regular and regular workers to 1,748,000 KRW. This is the largest gap ever recorded.

By age group, the number of non-regular workers increased the most among those aged 60 and over (193,000), followed by 30s with 84,000, 20s with 38,000, and 50s with 34,000 increases respectively.

For those in their 20s, the employment rate reached an all-time high, largely due to a greater increase in non-regular workers than regular workers.

The employment rate for people in their 20s was 61.7%, the highest for August since related statistics began in 1999. However, among wage workers in their 20s, 4 out of 10 were non-regular workers, marking the highest proportion ever recorded. This is interpreted as a result of the doubling of part-time work over the past decade.

Among 3,389,000 wage workers in their 20s, 1,461,000 were non-regular workers, accounting for 43.1%. Of these, part-time workers numbered 817,000, an increase of 401,000 compared to the 2014 survey. Part-time workers are defined as those who work at least one hour less than the prescribed working hours of other workers doing the same job at the same workplace. This trend is interpreted as being related to a preference for working the desired amount at the desired time. In contrast, the number of regular workers decreased by nearly 350,000 compared to 10 years ago in 2014.