South Korea’s female employment and labour participation rates lag among OECD nations
- Josephine Tan
- Topics: DE&I, Home Page - News, Mobility, News, South Korea
South Korea’s employment and labour indicators for women have consistently ranked low among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations over the past two decades, according to a recent report by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). The findings underscore systemic challenges, including insufficient government support and a lack of adequate job opportunities for women.
The report analysed employment and labour data for women aged 15 and 64 across 38 OECD countries, revealing that South Korea’s female employment rate stood at 61.4%, while the labour participation rate was slightly higher at 63.1% in 2023. These figures place South Kore at 31st among OECD nations in both categories.
Over the past two decades, South Korea’s ranking has steadily declined. In 2023, the country ranked 27th in terms of female employment rates, dropping to 31st in 2023. This trend reflects broader challenges in advancing gender equality in the workplace.
A closer examination highlights the stark difficulties faced by working mothers. In 2021, the employment rate for women in South Korea with children under the age of 15 was just 56.2%—the lowest among the “30-50 club”, a group of OECD nations with populations exceeding 50 million and per capita incomes above US$30,000.
READ MORE: Career interruptions plague nearly 70% of married women in South Korea
The FKI’s analysis identified two primary barriers to higher female workforce participation: the lack of flexible work environments and inadequate family care support. In comparison, countries like Germany, Japan and the UK—where female employment rates exceed 70%—have made significant strides in these areas.
To address these challenges, the FKI emphasised the importance of creating work environments that promote work-life balance. “Efforts to improve women’s economic participation should focus on creating work environments that enable greater flexibility in working hours,” the report stated.
The report also called for expanding access to high-quality part-time jobs and strengthening family care support systems to actively encourage women’s participation in the labour force, reported The Korea Times.
