Pay Gap Between Permanent, Temporary Jobs Reaches Fresh High

The wage gap between permanent and temporary workers has widened to a fresh record high, with the number of temporary workers also rising to a new record.

Statistics Korea said Tuesday the average monthly salary of a permanent staffer in June to August of this year was W3.48 million, while the figure stood at W1.88 million for a temporary worker (US$1=W1,433).

The pay gap between permanent and temporary workers has set one new record after another over the past five years, increasing from W1.37 million in 2018 to W1.44 million in 2019, W1.52 million in 2020, W1.57 million in 2021 and W1.6 million this year.

A major reason is a decrease in the number of temporary positions in the service sector, which employs many young people, during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the number of temporary workers increased by 90,000 compared to 2020 to 8.16 million. The growth was attributed to an increase in the number of government-funded menial jobs for senior citizens.

By industry, the health and social service sector had the highest number of temporary employees at 1.39 million. By age group, 31.3 percent were over 60 and 21.1 percent were in their 50s.