[News Issue] Half of Grade 5 New Public Officials "Low Pay and No Sense of Fulfillment," Hope to Change Jobs

Among newly appointed Grade 5 public officials, one in two expressed a desire to change jobs. Although they showed strong motivation for public service and found participation in policy-making highly appealing, they wished to leave due to low salaries and lack of fulfillment. The most preferred sector for job change was 'private companies.'

According to the 2024 4th Data Brief "From Aspiration to Disappointment: Examining Job Turnover Among New Administrative Officers in 2023" recently published by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, the turnover intention rate (agree or strongly agree) among newly appointed Grade 5 public officials was 49.1%, about 6.1 percentage points higher than the overall group (43%).

Provided by Korea Institute of Public Administration

The Grade 5 new public official group scored higher on all items measuring motivation for public service compared to the group of new officials at Grade 6 and below. In particular, the average score for the item "I feel great fulfillment by participating in the policy process and doing socially meaningful work" was 3.64, which is 0.39 points higher than the 3.25 scored by the Grade 6 and below group.

Additionally, compared to Grade 6 and below officials, Grade 5 new officials placed greater importance on public duty and felt a stronger sense of responsibility. The average score for the item "I always prioritize public duty over personal values when performing my work" was 3.53, higher than the 3.32 scored by officials at Grade 6 and below.

Despite valuing public service and having strong motivation for it, the reason Grade 5 new public officials want to change jobs is due to low pay and lack of fulfillment.

While new officials at Grade 6 and below mainly preferred to move to 'public institutions' (55.2%), Grade 5 new officials favored changing jobs to 'private companies' (42.1%). This was followed by teaching positions (research roles, 19.3%), public institutions (12.3%), startups (10.5%), further studies (7%), and others (7%). The preference among the highly motivated Grade 5 new public officials to move to the private sector rather than public institutions suggests that, besides low pay, lack of fulfillment is a primary reason.

They cited 'low salary' (78.9%) as the top reason for wanting to change jobs, followed by 'lack of fulfillment' (33.3%). The proportions citing 'excessive workload' (28.1%) and 'promotion stagnation' (10.5%) were lower than those of Grade 6 officials.

Meanwhile, the greatest job-related stress reported by Grade 5 new public officials was related to 'superiors.' The average score for the item "There are cases where I receive contradictory demands or instructions from superiors" was 3.13 among Grade 5 new officials, higher than the 2.95 scored by officials at Grade 6 and below.

The Korea Institute of Public Administration analyzed, "While new public officials at all ranks who intend to change jobs cited low salary as the most important cause, the proportion of Grade 5 new officials who responded that they want to leave public service because they do not feel a sense of fulfillment was higher," adding, "This turnover among Grade 5 new officials indicates that the individual's values based on public service motivation and public service values are not aligned with the values of their current organization." They further emphasized, "In addition to salary increases, innovation in public service culture that can enhance work autonomy and policy efficacy is necessary."