According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s “June 2025 Survey on Working Conditions by Employment Type,” the total hourly wage for wage workers stood at 25,839 won as of June last year, up 2.7% from a year earlier. Regular workers averaged 28,599 won, up 3.2%, while nonregular workers averaged 18,635 won, up 1.3%.
Nonregular workers’ total hourly wage was 65.2% of regular workers’ level, down 1.2 percentage points from 66.4% a year earlier. The ministry said the overall wage increase for nonregular workers slowed as their numbers rose in groups that typically work fewer hours and earn less, including short-hour workers, those 60 and older, women and workers in health and social welfare services.
The share of low-wage workers earning less than two-thirds of the median wage was 15.8%, down 0.3 percentage points from 16.1% a year earlier. The wage quintile ratio improved to 4.39 from 4.42.
The ministry said key distribution indicators improved as average wages for the bottom 20% rose 3.4%, outpacing the 2.4% increase for the top 20%.
At workplaces with at least one employee, average actual working hours per worker totaled 146.3 hours, down 0.5 hour from 146.8 a year earlier. Regular workers averaged 162.1 hours, down 0.1 hour, and nonregular workers averaged 104.8 hours, down 1.0 hour.
More than 91% of all workers were enrolled in social insurance programs, the ministry said, adding that enrollment in industrial accident insurance showed little difference between regular and nonregular workers. Union membership at workplaces with at least one employee rose to 10.2% from 9.7% a year earlier. Membership was 13.7% for regular workers and 1.2% for nonregular workers, up 0.6 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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