Over 12,000 Apply for Grade 7 Open Competitive Recruitment Exam
"Compensation and Promotion Systems Must Be Improved First"
Discontent Grows Among Field Workers
It has been confirmed that over 12,000 applicants have registered for the 7th Grade National Civil Service Open Competitive Recruitment Exam in the fields of labor inspection and industrial safety. However, voices of discontent are emerging within the Ministry of Employment and Labor due to promotion bottlenecks and an inadequate compensation system, leading to criticism that simply increasing manpower will not resolve on-site issues.
The Ministry of Personnel Management announced on September 20 that, as of the application deadline from September 15 to 19, a total of 12,290 people had applied for 500 positions, resulting in an average competition rate of 24.6 to 1.
By job category, the administrative group recorded a competition rate of 47.1 to 1, while the science and technology group saw 9.6 to 1. In particular, for general administrative positions, 6,147 people applied for 91 openings, resulting in the most intense competition at 67.5 to 1. The average age of applicants was 30.7 years, with those in their twenties accounting for more than half. The proportion of female applicants was slightly higher than males, at 51.6%.
Test site for the 7th Grade National Civil Service Open Competitive Recruitment Exam. Provided by the Ministry of Personnel Management Yonhap News Agency
This large-scale recruitment follows the directive of President Lee Jaemyung in June. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has set a goal to increase the number of labor inspectors from the current 3,100 to 10,000 by 2028, and next year's budget proposal reflects a 130 billion won increase in personnel expenses compared to this year.
However, there are growing calls from the field that what is urgently needed is not just an increase in numbers, but improvements to the compensation and promotion systems that match the challenges of on-site work. Critics argue that recruiting a large number of 7th Grade officials again is contradictory, given that issues such as minimum wage-level pay, the intensity of civil complaints, and uncertainty in promotions remain unresolved.
In fact, of the 249 successful candidates assigned to the Ministry of Employment and Labor through this year's 9th Grade open recruitment, 61 people (24.5%) have already declined their appointments. Considering that only one person dropped out in both 2023 and last year, this is highly unusual. It has even been reported that some employees are choosing to resign and retake the exam.
During the Moon Jaein administration, hundreds of labor inspectors were recruited each year, but the combination of total personnel cost management and adjustments to the rank structure led to a buildup of promotion bottlenecks. As a result, the field was increasingly staffed by inspectors with less than three years of experience and insufficient capabilities, leading to growing dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, the first round of the 7th Grade labor inspection and industrial safety open recruitment exam will be held on November 15 in five major cities, including Seoul and Busan, with successful candidates to be announced on December 17.
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