SEOUL, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreigners coming to South Korea to get a job fell for the first time in four years in 2024 as labor demand fell in the country amid an economic slowdown, data showed Thursday. In 2024, 164,000 foreign nationals came to Korea with a working visa, down [...]
SEOUL, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is weighing a significant pension reform that could bring platform workers — such as food delivery riders and chauffeur-for-hire drivers — under the same pension contribution scheme as regular employees, with their platforms potentially covering half of their premiums. A new report released Tuesday by the National [...]
SEOUL, July 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The labor union of GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., plans to stage a partial strike this week, as it has failed to narrow differences with management in ongoing wage negotiations, union officials said Wednesday. Unionized workers will stage two-hour walkouts across [...]
SEOUL, , July 8 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of young South Koreans are remaining out of the labor force well after graduation, many continuing to live with their parents — a phenomenon known locally as the “Kangaroo Tribe.” A new government-funded study has found that this group accounts for nearly 17% of all economically inactive [...]
SEOUL, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — An ongoing labor dispute at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., has escalated as the union secured the legal right to strike following a breakdown in wage negotiations, sources said Monday, fueling concerns that the American auto giant may scale back its production in [...]
BUSAN, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea grapples with an early and intense heatwave, dock workers at Busan’s Sinseondae Terminal—one of the busiest transshipment hubs in the world—are enduring punishing conditions with little reprieve, raising concerns over labor safety in the nation’s critical shipping industry. On July 4, with heat advisories in effect [...]
Metal Materials Quality Inspectors Earn Highest Daily Pay; Bakers Rank Lowest SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Among 129 job categories in South Korea’s small and medium-sized manufacturing sector, metal materials quality inspectors command the highest average daily wage, while bakers and rice cake makers earn the least, according to new industry data. The Korea Federation [...]
SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A new survey shows that South Korean workers overwhelmingly view irregular employment as the most urgent labor issue the Lee Jae-myung administration must address. According to results released Sunday by online labor advocacy group Workplace Gapjil 119, nearly four in ten salaried workers (38.8%) cited the country’s widespread use [...]
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The average South Korean worker earned 3.97 million won ($2,870) in April this year, working 165.5 hours for the month, according to new data released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday. While wages rose modestly, the outlook for core industries like manufacturing and construction continues to darken [...]
SEOUL, June 25 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 8.47 million South Koreans—including freelancers, gig workers, and platform laborers—now make up a major portion of the labor market, yet remain largely excluded from the country’s national pension system, a new government report has found. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) released a report [...]