A special multicultural zone in Ansan, 40 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Jan. 28, 2020. The street is one of the major Chinese quarters in the country. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 6 (Korea Bizwire) — 7 out of 10 young ethnic Koreans of Chinese nationality living in South Korea are engaged in economic activities, research showed Wednesday.
Most of them work in the mining, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and lodging industries, which have low employment barriers or are not popular among their Korean peers.
The economic activity participation rate of young ethnic Koreans (between the ages of 15 and 29) of Chinese nationality living in South Korea stood at 73.3 percent, far higher than the 48.4 percent reported for their local peers, according to a report released by the Migration Research & Training Center.
Unlike most of their local peers, who continue studying, a majority of the young Korean Chinese participate in economic activities soon after entry into the country rather than joining the public education system.
Unlike the young Korean Chinese in their teens and 20s, the economic activity participation rate of those between 30 and 39 years of age (78.4 percent) was similar to that of their local peers (79 percent).
By industry, 40.4 percent of the young Korean Chinese were engaged in mining and manufacturing industries.
By job type, 32.9 percent were engaged in technical and mechanical work, followed by service and sales at 30.1 percent and simple labor work at 22.1 percent.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
