The surveyed researchers were also very pessimistic about their future. Approximately 70 percent of the researchers who responded to the survey agreed that competition was becoming worse and many institutions of higher learning could possibly shut down. (Image credit: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – A new study has revealed that 7 out of 10 academic researchers on temporary contracts have monthly salaries of less than 2.5 million won. Moreover, nearly half of all temporary researchers take home less than 1.67 million won per month in pay.
A research paper revealing such results, authored by sociology professor Kim Gwi-ok of Hanyang University, was announced in an academic journal published by the Academy of Korean Studies. The survey of 115 researchers under temporary contracts was performed in February.
A breakdown of the demographics found that 57 respondents were in their 40s, 30 respondents were in their 50s, and 24 were in their 30s. Among respondents, 90 were holders of doctorate degrees, while 16 had completed their Ph.D. studies. Seven respondents had a master’s degree. A large majority (101 respondents) had studied the humanities and the social sciences. Most of the respondents had completed Ph.D. studies, were in their 30s to 50s, and were suffering financially.
Three respondents said they had no yearly income, while 25 had yearly income levels below 10 million won and 26 had yearly pay that fell between 10 and 20 million won. Another 26 were found to have yearly income between 20 million and 30 million won. Only 24 people were able to find work as a researcher that paid between 30 to 40 million won, while merely 11 researchers earned more than 40 million won per year.
Kim claimed the study found that a significant number of temporary researchers were economically impoverished. “Average monthly expenditures for a household in Seoul amounted to 3.14 million won in 2013, while the average monthly expenditures for researchers were between 2 and 3 million won,” said Kim.
The surveyed researchers were also very pessimistic about their future. Approximately 70 percent of the researchers who responded to the survey agreed that competition was becoming worse and many institutions of higher learning could possibly shut down. Professor Kim said that the researchers, above all, valued working conditions that would allow them to perform research on stable terms rather than being more economically stable.
“The respondents said that it was necessary to have more support in the foundational areas of academics in order for a knowledge-based society to mature,” said Kim.
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
