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For most, lunch time not just for a meal

May 4, 2011 - 10:35 By 황장진
One out of four workers prefers doing something more productive during lunch time than just eating, according to a survey.

In a research conducted by Saramin, an online recruitment website in Korea, about quarter of participants said they were “lunch tourists.” The term refers to those who spend lunch break just for themselves, rather than having a long meal or interacting with colleagues.

Out of the lunch tourists, 34.8 percent worked at state-owned companies, 28.6 percent at international corporations, and 23.4 percent at conglomerate, followed by small-medium enterprises.

They preferred this because they wanted to make the most of their free time. Other answers included "for self-satisfaction," "to ease stress," or "to get out of office."

About 38.7 percent read books or enjoyed their hobbies during lunch. Another 27.7 percent visited banks while 13.1 percent exercised. Some even concentrated on stock investment or took online lectures.

Some 1,165 workers participated in the survey and respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.

A spokesman of Saramin said “fifteen minutes a day is 100 hours a year,” and added that making the most out of that time is a “wise investment for oneself.”

By Kang Yoon-seung
(koreacolin@gmail.com)
Intern reporter

<한글 요약>

점심시간에 밥만 먹나요?

우리나라 직장인 4명 중 1명은 점심시간을 식사 대신 개인적인 시간으로 사용하는 속칭 ‘런치 투어족’인 것으로 밝혀졌다.

취업 포털 사람인의 설문 조사에 따르면, 응답자의 1/4 가량이 자신을 런치 투어족이라고 응답을 했다.

근무지는 공기업, 외국계 기업, 대기업, 그리고 중소기업 순서로 나타났다.

응답자들은 대부분 독서 등 취미 생활을 하며 점심시간을 보냈고, 은행 업무를 보거나 운동을 하는 경우도 있었다. 일부 응답자들은 주식투자를 하거나 온라인 강의를 들었다.

설문은 1,165명의 직장인을 대상으로 하였으며, 복수 응답이 가능했다.

사람인의 한 관계자는 “하루 15분의 자투리 시간을 1년 모으면 100시간”이라며 효율적인 시간 이용은 “자신을 위한 현명한 투자”라고 밝혔다.