[2025 Audit] 9 Out of 10 Bank and Card Call Center Consultants Are Indirectly Employed

Indirect Employment Rate at 48 Financial Firms Reaches 68.3%
Banks at 88%, Credit Card Companies at 89.6%
Jangshik Shin: "Severe Job Insecurity"

The majority of call center consultants at major banks and credit card companies are found to be employed through indirect employment arrangements.

According to data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service and major financial companies to Assemblyman Jangshik Shin of the National Innovation Party, a member of the National Policy Committee, as of the first half of this year, the indirect employment rate at call centers across 48 financial companies stood at 68.3%. Out of a total of 23,426 employees, 16,002 were indirectly employed, 5,020 belonged to subsidiaries, and 2,404 were directly employed by the parent company.

The sectors with the highest rates of indirect employment are banks and credit card companies. Among 19 major banks, there were 6,399 call center workers, of whom 5,631 were indirectly employed, resulting in an indirect employment rate of 88.0%. Notably, five banks-KB Kookmin Bank, iM Bank, Kyongnam Bank, Suhyup Bank, and K Bank-operate their call centers entirely through indirect employment.

On the other hand, Korea Development Bank has the lowest indirect employment rate, with 24 out of 33 call center employees directly employed by the parent company and 9 employed by a subsidiary. At Standard Chartered Bank Korea, 156 out of 160 employees are directly employed by the parent company, resulting in the highest direct employment rate of 97.5%. When categorized by bank type-commercial, regional, specialized, and internet banks-the indirect employment rate is highest among internet banks at 90.4%, and lowest among regional banks at 82.7%.

Jangshik Shin, member of the National Innovation Party. Office of Jangshik Shin

The indirect employment rate at the 10 major credit card companies is 89.6%, with 7,462 out of 8,324 call center workers being indirectly employed. Five companies-Hana Card, Hyundai Card, KB Kookmin Card, NH Nonghyup Card, and Lotte Card-employ all their call center staff through indirect employment. The indirect employment rates at Shinhan Card and Woori Card are also high, at 97.9% and 94.4%, respectively. In contrast, Samsung Card employs all 559 of its call center staff through its subsidiary.

Insurance and securities companies have relatively lower rates of indirect employment compared to banks and credit card companies. Among 10 major insurance companies, the indirect employment rate is 32.0% (2,309 employees), with 2,309 out of 7,210 staff working under indirect employment arrangements. Among those not indirectly employed, 59.1% (4,259 employees) belong to subsidiaries, while only 8.9% (642 employees) are directly employed by the parent company. Hanwha Life, Shinhan Life, and NH Nonghyup Life operate their call centers entirely through indirect employment. Conversely, Kyobo Life and DB Insurance operate all of their call center staff-418 and 678 employees, respectively-through subsidiaries. Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance has the highest direct employment rate, with 416 out of 487 employees (85.4%) directly employed by the parent company.

The indirect employment rate at the 10 major securities companies is 40.2% (600 employees), with 893 out of 1,493 call center staff (59.8%) directly employed by the parent company. Kiwoom Securities (56.5%), KB Securities (50.3%), and Daishin Securities (41.0%) have the highest indirect employment rates. In contrast, Mirae Asset Securities directly employs 168 out of 186 staff (90.3%) through the parent company.

Assemblyman Jangshik Shin stated, "Call centers serve as a vital communication channel connecting financial companies and customers, handling important customer information and playing a crucial role in responding to financial fraud." He further emphasized, "The instability of employment for call center consultants, who are entrusted with maintaining customer trust and ensuring safe financial services, undermines the very foundation of finance." He added, "Financial company call centers should not become a symbol of outsourcing. There must be a responsible and stable employment system in place."