"Low Pay, Heavy Work"... Public Officials' Intention to Resign Increases for 7 Consecutive Years

'Public Service Life Survey' Conducted on 6,075 Public Officials
Highest Intention to Change Jobs Among Those with 6-10 Years of Service and at Grades 8-9
Public Enterprises and Other Public Institutions Are the Most Desired Fields for Job Change

The intention of public officials to change jobs has been on the rise for several years due to low salaries and excessive workloads.

On the 24th, the Korea Institute of Public Administration announced the results of the "Public Service Life Survey" at a seminar themed "Thinking about Reunification in an Era of Division." The survey was conducted in August last year targeting 6,075 public officials belonging to central administrative agencies, metropolitan local governments, and basic local governments. As a result, the average job change intention score of public officials in central agencies and metropolitan local governments was 3.48 points (out of 5), showing an increase of 0.06 points compared to the previous year (3.42 points). Public officials in basic local governments also saw an increase from 3.28 points to 3.31 points during the same period.

Results of the 'Public Service Life Survey' conducted in August last year. Korea Institute of Public Administration

The overall intention of public officials to change jobs has steadily increased for seven consecutive years since 2017. By length of service, those with 6 to 10 years of experience, and by rank, those at grades 8 to 9 showed the highest intention to change jobs. Notably, among those who responded that they intended to change jobs, 66% cited "low salary" as the reason. This was followed by "excessive workload" (10.5%), "promotion stagnation" (5.2%), "superior-subordinate interpersonal relationships" (3.0%), and "colleague interpersonal relationships" (0.6%). The top desired field for changing jobs was "public enterprises and other public institutions" (45.8%), followed by "private companies" (21.4%), "startups" (15.8%), "studies" (4.4%), and "returning to farming or rural areas" (4.2%).

Additionally, the job satisfaction score of public officials in central agencies and metropolitan local governments was 3.34 points, slightly down from 3.38 points the previous year. Public officials in basic local governments also experienced a decline in satisfaction from 3.26 points to 3.17 points during the same period.