Wage gap by work sector widens in South Korea

The sector that saw the largest wage jump include tech firms, while the salaries of workers in the tourism and aviation sectors took a plunge.
By: | November 10, 2021
Topics: Compensation and Benefits | Health and Wellness | News | South Korea

South Korea’s wage gap between sectors grew wider amid the pandemic as pay in tech and TV broadcasting saw some of its biggest growth, while workers in the tourism and aviation industries saw their salaries decline, according to data by the Korea Economic Research Institute. 

The sector that saw the largest wage jump include tech firms like Naver, Kakao and music streaming service Genie Music.

Jobs at web portal, web hosting firms and data processing saw pay increases by 9 million won (US$7,666) on average to 37.9 million won (US$32,163) during the first half of this year compared with the same period two years ago, reports The Korea Herald. 

Meanwhile, roles in product trading saw the second highest jump in average pay, from 30.8 million won (US$26,137) in the first half of 2019 to 39.1 million won (US$33,181) during the same time this year. These include firms like LX International and Posco International. 

READ: Number of South Koreans outside labour force drops

Jobs in television, which include entertainment agency CJ ENM and TV network SBS, paid 4.1 million won (US$3,479) more on average. The average salary in tourism and related sectors fell from 20 million won (US$16,972) in 1H2019 to 12.3 million won (US$10,438) over the same period this year.