South Korea’s Minister of Employment and Labour has urged firms to be ready for new technologies and has pledged more support for employees.
South Korea saw its employment rise for the second consecutive month this year, with a 1.1% increase in employment from the year before.
As South Korea’s elderly population surges, financial hardship is becoming a pressing issue, particularly among those aged 65 or older.
Foreign employee expansion and flexible regulations have reduced job vacancies in South Korea, with younger generations most impacted.
Receiving inappropriate comments and not being valued for their work are some of the pervasive challenges faced by women.
While the number of women employed in South Korea was at an all-time high last year, the gender income gap has still not been addressed.
Instead of fielding intrusive and unnecessary questions to job applicants, recruiters should focus on experience sharing.
The country’s total workforce now numbers 28.68 million, as the unemployment rate fell to 2.7% in July, the lowest recorded since 1999.
The country’s workforce is ageing rapidly, with the mean average age projected to reach 50 by 2030 and 53.7 by 2050, surpassing the OECD average.
The minimum wage has been set at 9,860 won (US$7.80), resulting in a monthly salary of nearly 2.07 million won (US$1,638) for employees.
Despite a general shift towards a better work-life balance, employees in South Korea find themselves working longer hours than in other countries.
As of June 2023, there are 1.91 million salaried women in their 60s in South Korea, which has contributed to a rise in female employment rates.
The electronics conglomerate is spearheading an initiative towards a paperless work environment within the office to boost sustainability.
South Korea’s minimum wage hike may result in significant job losses, especially among young and low-income employees, a lobby group has warned.
While the employment rate continues to hit record high, new job additions in the country slowed down for a second consecutive month.
The move is in line with the multinational electronics corporation’s effort to improve work-life balance and provide more flexibility for employees.
Women in their 30s are making up higher numbers in South Korea’s working population, while numbers of men in the same age group are declining.
In the last two years, 84 cases have been filed to the labour ministry regarding prying questions asked during work interviews that violate privacy.
To prevent information leaks resulting from the misuse of ChatGPT, education campaigns have been launched to inform employees of potential risks.
Younger public employees prefer to eat alone and are less receptive to communal lunch gatherings, while senior public employees seek solitude.
Many employees have opposed the Ministry of Employment and Labour's proposal to increase the weekly maximum work hours to 69 hours.
Criticism and doubts have been raised over the feasibility of longer work hours and vacations in a proposal pushing for a new working hour system.
Plans to revise the current 52-hour workweek will afford employees more control over how they manage their working hours.
The new system involves two 12-hours shifts followed by multiple days offs, without adding to employees’ overall working hours.
Job growth in South Korea hit a two-year low in January 2023 with 411,000 jobs added, marking the smallest on-year growth since March 2021.
The diet policy aims to minimise greenhouse gas emissions while using eco-friendly materials in the organisation’s cafeterias.
As South Korea’s population ages and more employees leave the workforce, pension reserves are predicted to deplete by 2055.
Companies spent more than 5 trillion won (US$4.04 billion) on managing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives in 2022.
More than 50% of Kakao employees have reportedly joined the Krew Union in response to a mandated return to office this March.
The country is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels with an addition of 816,000 jobs in 2022, the highest increase recorded in 20 years.
