A global survey released Monday by Dropbox in partnership with polling firm YouGov (Image courtesy of Dropbox)
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean employees are spending an estimated 25.1 billion hours annually on repetitive administrative work, including data management and routine reporting, according to a global survey released Monday by Dropbox in partnership with polling firm YouGov.
The survey, which included over 10,000 full- and part-time workers across seven countries — including 600 in South Korea — found that 68% of Korean respondents spend up to 10 hours a week on routine admin tasks.
Additionally, 70% reported spending significant time on information searching and management, while 66% cited regular reporting and analysis work as major time sinks.
In contrast, only half of respondents said they dedicate more than five hours a week to strategic meetings or decision-making — signaling a growing imbalance between routine labor and high-impact work.
South Korea also stood out as the most open among surveyed countries to adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. A majority (55%) of Korean respondents said they would embrace AI if it saved them up to four hours per week — well above the global average of 39%. Only 9% of Korean workers said they would never use AI, compared to nearly 28% globally.
“These findings show Korean workers are ready for change,” Dropbox said in a statement. “The key is providing tools that eliminate unnecessary distractions and help workers refocus on what truly matters.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
