A street in central Seoul is nearly empty on Dec. 28, 2020, amid South Korea’s strengthened social distancing campaign due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – The outbreak of the coronavirus deepened the polarization of the job market, with the number of office and sales jobs declining more compared to physical labor jobs, a central bank report showed Monday.
The number of middle-skilled jobs such as office, sales, functional and assembly technicians declined by 0.63 percent per year on average in 2020 and 2021 at the onset of the pandemic, higher than the 0.22 percent recorded in the 2014 to 2019 period, according to a report released the Bank of Korea.
The report suggested that middle-skilled jobs can be relatively easily replaced by automation for higher cost saving benefits.
Another factor behind the steeper fall in the number of middle-skilled jobs is the difficulty in working from home. The ‘working from home’ index was calculated at 0.22 for middle-skilled jobs, lower than 0.62 for high-skilled jobs.
The report predicted that chances are high for middle-skilled jobs to go through a period of long-term adjustment as the trends of automation and non-face-to-face lifestyle are expected to continue in the future.
As of the end of September, the number of high-skilled and low-skilled jobs increased by 0.5 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, compared to the figures recorded in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Of special note, the number of low-skilled jobs increased sharply as the demand for parcel couriers and delivery drivers increased thanks to the growth of non-face-to-face services.
The report added that it was rare for low-skilled employment to increase sharply in times of economic difficulty.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
