Disability Employment Rates Improve Slightly in South Korea, but Private Sector Still Falls Short

Public and private sectors post modest gains in disability employment, but private firms remain below mandatory targets. (Image created by ChatGPT)

SEOUL, April 29, (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s overall disability employment rate saw a modest improvement in 2024, but private-sector companies continue to lag behind their mandatory hiring targets, government data showed Monday.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, as of the end of 2024, the average disability employment rate across 32,692 public agencies and private businesses with 50 or more employees stood at 3.21 percent — up 0.04 percentage points from the previous year. The total number of employed persons with disabilities rose by 7,331 to 298,654.

The public sector, including government bodies and public institutions, recorded a disability employment rate of 3.9 percent in 2024, slightly exceeding the mandatory 3.8 percent threshold and marking a 0.04 percentage-point increase from 2023.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

The private sector, meanwhile, reported a 3.03 percent employment rate for persons with disabilities, also up 0.04 percentage points year-on-year.

While the private sector’s employment rate is approaching the statutory target of 3.1 percent, it still falls short, albeit by a narrower margin of 0.07 percentage points compared to previous years.

Larger corporations, particularly those with over 1,000 employees, drove much of the improvement, posting a 0.09 percentage-point rise in disability employment, contributing significantly to the overall upward trend.

Within the public sector, local governments led with a disability employment rate of 5.92 percent, followed by public institutions at 4.05 percent, central government ministries at 3.36 percent, constitutional agencies at 2.83 percent, and educational offices at 2.52 percent. Local governments and public agencies were credited with playing a central role in the sector’s positive performance.

However, the hiring of persons with disabilities into public servant roles remained sluggish, particularly in sectors with a high proportion of specialized positions such as teaching and military service, where employment rates were noticeably lower.

The share of workers with severe disabilities among employed persons with disabilities reached 35.8 percent in 2024, while women accounted for 28.7 percent. Both figures have continued a steady rise since 2020, when the rates stood at 29.9 percent and 25.7 percent, respectively.

Kwon Jin-ho, director of integrated employment policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said the government would strengthen support for private-sector disability employment by expanding consulting services and easing regulations on subsidiary-type standard workplaces.

“We will actively support companies in hiring more persons with disabilities,” Kwon said, “and we will also work with relevant government bodies to ensure the public sector fulfills its social responsibilities in promoting disability employment.”

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)