Women earn one-third less than men in temporary jobs

Korea’s job market remains far harsher for women, who hold 1.31 million more temporary and part-time jobs than men and earn only about 65 percent of men’s pay in comparable roles.

Nonregular jobs, including short-term contracts, part-time roles and subcontracted work, are disproportionately filled by women, contributing to Korea’s gender pay gap, which remains among the widest for an advanced economy globally.

According to a report released Monday by the Korea Labor and Society Institute, 5.3 million women work in nonregular jobs, compared to 3.99 million men. Nonregular workers account for 33.4 percent of all male employees, while among women, the share is a majority 50.7 percent.

The divide widens with age. Among women, the share of nonregular workers jumps from 28.7 percent in the age group of between 30 and 34 years old to 72.3 percent in the 60 to 64 group.

In contrast, the rate for men stays around 20 percent from age 30 until jumping to 52.9 percent in the 60 to 64 group, reflecting the typical retirement age in Korea.

Women continue to show a higher rate of nonregular work well into their 70s, mirroring the country’s higher senior poverty rate for women than men, at 48.7 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively.

“The increase in female nonregular workers after a rebound in their 30s reflects the difficulties women face in the job market after childbirth and child-rearing,” the institute said. “With the sharp decline in full-time positions for women in their early 30s, the data shows that most jobs available to them at that age are temporary.”

While the high share of women in nonregular work contributes to Korea’s 29 percent gender gap in median income, the widest among the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the gap remains large even among workers in similar contract conditions.

Female nonregular workers earned an average of 1.72 million won ($1,170) per month in 2024, 35 percent less than the 2.66 million won earned by men. Among regular workers, women earned 3.3 million won, compared to 4.4 million won for men.