This undated file photo shows people walking into the main government complex in Sejong, 130 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of public servants who intend to change jobs is rapidly increasing amid the waning popularity of work in the public service due to a perception of poor pay, a survey showed Monday.
The Korea Institute of Public Administration conducted a survey of 6,000 public officials.
In response to a question asking if they had any intention to change jobs, 45.2 percent of the respondents responded affirmatively, up 11.7 percentage points from a year ago.
The share of the civil servants intending to change jobs has been on an upward trend, rising from 28 percent in 2017 to 31.1 percent in 2020.
As for the reason why they wanted to change jobs, 34.7 percent cited low salary, followed by 14 percent who said their job did not suit their aptitudes or personal values, and 13.5 percent who cited an excessive workload.
In fact, the number of public officials quitting their jobs in their 20s and 30s has been on an upward trend since 2017, with the number of public officials in their 40s who resigned rising sharply from 2019.
In particular, the number of public servants in their 20s who resigned jumped to 3,179 in 2021, a twofold increase from 2017.
The share of civil servants who responded affirmatively to a question asking if they were satisfied with their jobs remained low at about 40 percent, while less than 20 percent agreed that public officials are highly appreciated in society.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
