Proportion of non-regular work by gender
(Units: %; %p)
Classification
2011
2012
34.2
27.8
42.8
15.0
All
Men
Women
Gender gap
2013
33.3
27.2
41.5
14.3
2014
32.6
26.5
40.6
14.1
2015
32.4
26.6
39.9
13.3
2016.6.
32.5
26.5
40.2
13.7
32.8
26.4
41.0
14.6
(Source: Statistics Korea, Supplementary Survey by Employment Status of the SEAP, August 2016)
15.
Although men and women have almost the same employment rate of around 59% or women have a
little higher rate in the age group of 20-29 years, the gender gap in employment rate grows dramatically
starting from the age of 30 years, which can be explained by women’s career breaks due to their childbirth or
child-rearing. Men’s employment rate in their 30s records more or less 90%, which is a rapid rise from the
rate in their 20s; whereas women’s employment rate in their 30s is lower than the rate in their 20s. Although
female employment rate in their 40s is higher than the rates in their 20s and 30s, in a typical M-shaped trend,
it is worried that most of the jobs among the women in their 40s are in non-regular employment, whose
quality is lower than that of the jobs held by men in the same age group or women in their 20s. In particular,
the data released by the Statistics Korea1 show that the bottom point of employment rate among women in
their 30s shifted from the early 30s (34 years or younger) to the late 30s (35 years or older), which reflects
the reality that the women who succeeded in finding a good job in their 20s tend to give birth to a child at a
later age than in the past.
Employment rate by year and by gender
Classification
Gender
Men
Women
Age group
20~29
30~39
40~49
20~29
30~39
40~49
Employment rate by year (%)
2008
59.2
90.3
91.8
59.1
54.7
64.7
2009
58.4
89.1
90.9
58.0
52.7
64.1
2010
58.2
89.5
91.2
58.3
53.7
64.2
2011
58.3
89.8
91.6
58.7
53.7
64.9
2012
57.3
90.3
91.7
58.8
54.5
64.6
2013
55.7
90.2
92.0
57.8
55.5
64.6
2014
55.8
90.9
92.7
59.0
56.3
65.1
(Source: Statistics Korea, Survey of Economically Active Population 2016)
16.
Since the inauguration of the current Government in 2013, youth employment rate among those
aged 15-29 recorded slight increases to 39.7% (in 2013), 40.7% (in 2014) and 41.5% (in 2015), but youth
unemployment rate also increased to 8.0% (in 2013), 9.0% (in 2014) and 9.2% (in 2015). As the 9.2% youth
unemployment rate of 2015 is the highest in the recent decade and this upward trend in youth unemployment
is likely to continue for a while, youth unemployment is emerging as a serious social problem. 2
17.
OECD Economic Survey of Korea: Overview published in May 2016 pointed out the problems
involved in Korean women’s work and employment and made some recommendations for the improvement
of female employment, as quoted below:
1
2
Statistics Korea, Women’s Life as Mirrored in the Statistics of 2016, June 28, 2016.
Statistics Korea, SEAP 2016.
5 / 25