A job-seeker writes a resume in an employment event held in Busan in this file photo taken on Sept. 17.YONHAP
The proportion of irregular workers among Korea's wage earners reached a record high of 38.5 percent in August, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Wednesday, with the wage gap with regular workers also reaching a new high.
The total number of irregular workers came to 8.67 million as of August, up from 8.56 million a year earlier, according to the Data Ministry.
Korea conducts an annual survey on employment types among the country's economically active population based on figures from every August.
The percentage of irregular salaried employees in the country's work force rose from the 38.2 percent tallied in 2025, the report showed.
Irregular workers include temporary workers, contractors, part-time employees and those who work for extended periods without contracts.
An official from the ministry said both the number and proportion of irregular workers reached their highest levels since Korea began compiling related data under the current method in 2003.
Male workers accounted for 3.7 million of the irregular workers, while female workers totaled 4.96 million.
By sector, 21.5 percent of irregular workers worked in the health and social welfare sector, followed by the accommodation and food service industry at 9.9 percent.
As of August, the total number of wage workers was 22.52 million, with those in regular positions at 13.85 million, or 61.5 percent of the total.
Job-seekers write resumes at an employment center in Seoul on Oct. 19.YONHAP
The report also showed that irregular workers averaged 29.5 hours per week, up 1.3 hours from a year earlier. Regular workers averaged 40.4 hours, up from 36.5 hours a year earlier.
The average monthly salary of irregular workers over the past three months came to 2.11 million won ($1,590), up 24,000 won from a year earlier.
In comparison, the monthly wage of regular workers came to 4.05 million won, up 156,000 won over the period.
The wage gap between the two groups widened by 132,000 won to 1.94 million won from the previous year, the report showed.
Their average length of service came to three years, up one month from a year earlier.
The data ministry said 36.5 percent of irregular workers were enrolled in the national pension program, down 0.6 percentage points from a year earlier. It showed that 53 percent of them were covered by the public health insurance program, down 0.2 percentage points over the period.
By comparison, 88.6 percent and 95.7 percent of regular workers were enrolled in the national pension and public health insurance programs, respectively.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) data, “temporary workers” — the group’s comparative term — accounted for 27.5 percent of Korea’s total work force in 2025, compared to 5.1 percent in Britain and 14.2 percent in Japan.
The OECD calculation considers only wage earners and salaried workers, classifies those with a predetermined termination date as temporary workers and excludes part-timers, outsourced laborers and those who renew their employment contracts.
