[Report File] Jobs are decreasing due to Corona 19... More precarious labor

It was found that this year, the number and proportion of non-regular workers decreased compared to last year.

Is the issue of non-regular workers improving, a chronic problem in our society and one of the core policy tasks of the Moon Jae-in administration? 

That would be nice, but it seems that the impact of the overall job decline caused by Corona 19 was greater.

The number of non-regular workers declined while the total number of jobs fell sharply. 

It is also a matter of how it was reduced.

Among the non-regular workers, the number of jobs declined on a large scale in the areas where the situation was better, while the number of non-regular workers increased.

The total number of non-regular workers has decreased, but employment instability has increased.

National Statistical Office compiled and announced the <Additional Survey by Labor Type of Economically Active Population Survey> as of August this year.

It is an index issued once a year to examine the status of non-regular workers in our society.  

Let’s look at the contents one by one.

The total number of wage workers was 20,446,000, down 113,000 from last year.

The number of wage workers decreased?

This is the first time since statistics were written.

As the population increased, the number of wage workers continued to increase in proportion, but the natural decline of the population began this year, and the number of wage workers decreased due to the COVID-19 employment crisis. 

Of these wage workers, non-regular workers amounted to 7426,000, accounting for 36.3% of the total.

The number of people decreased by 55,000 compared to last year, and the proportion decreased by 0.1%p.

The rest were regular workers, accounting for 63.7%, which also decreased by 58,000 from last year.

Considering that the size of the decline is more than that of non-regular workers, it can be seen that this decrease in non-regular workers does not improve employment stability. 

By age, there were 2132,000 people aged 60 and over, accounting for 28.7%.

As the aging population is getting worse, the number of non-regular workers for the elderly is steadily increasing year by year.

They were in their 50s, 40s, and 20s. Except for those in their 60s, all of them have fewer than last year. 

In which areas did non-regular workers decrease?

Again, it has decreased a lot in industries that are hit hard by Corona 19.

The lodging and restaurant business decreased by 71,000, the manufacturing business decreased by 69,000, and the education service business also decreased by more than 40,000.

On the other hand, there were 150,000 people in the health and social welfare service industries and 40,000 people in the public administration, national defense, and social security administration.

There are many government-funded jobs in this sector that have been urgently created to overcome the employment crisis, because these jobs are included in fixed-term jobs. 

Before looking into the status of non-regular workers by type of work in earnest, let's identify the types of non-regular workers compiled by the National Statistical Office.

Non-regular workers are largely classified into 1) temporary workers 2) part-time workers 3) atypical workers.

Wage workers not included here are considered regular workers. 

1) Temporary workers are workers who can work while renewing the contract repeatedly even if the contract period is fixed or not.

So, aren't non-period workers a regular job?

It may be better than a fixed-term system, but it is difficult to expect to continue working and there is no guarantee of employment, so I am included in non-regular workers.

Weapons contract workers are typical. 

2) Part-time workers are also called short-time workers.

This is usually the case when you are scheduled to work less than 36 hours a week. 

3) Atypical workers are literally special types of workers that are not typical, regular workers.

This includes special hires such as courier service, delivery, workbook teacher, insurance agent, freelancer, dispatch, and service.

This includes daily workers who work for days or weeks only when they have a job without a labor contract. 

So, how did non-regular workers change by type this year? 

As shown in the picture, all except temporary workers increased.

The number of non-term workers with better circumstances for temporary workers also decreased by 330,000, while the number of fixed-term workers increased by 133,000. 

The increase in fixed-term workers is largely due to the government's expansion of fiscal jobs.

On the other hand, regarding the increase in the non-period system, the National Statistical Office explained, "The increase in the number of people who were unable to continue working due to increased employment uncertainty due to Corona 19 had an effect on the decrease in the non-term system."

There are many non-period workers in restaurants, part-time jobs, etc., which are often visited by young people, and this is the field that received the most shock from the employment of Corona 19.

In fact, the National Statistical Office estimates that the number of non-term workers has decreased significantly among the youth. 

This classification can be duplicated.

So, for example, you can be both a temporary worker and a part-time worker.

So, the National Statistical Office separately calculated the size of non-regular workers, eliminating duplication between these types. 

The priority is "special type employment> in-home> dispatch/service> daily> temporary> part time".

So, if you are a temporary worker and a part-time worker at the same time, it is counted only as a temporary worker. 

If you look at it separately, it is noticeable that there are fewer special types of workers.

There is also a large increase in the number of daily workers included in the atypical workers.

(136,000 increase compared to the previous year) Although the number of atypical workers has increased, it can be seen as reflecting the daily increase in workers occupied by most construction workers. 

Part-time can also be seen as a decrease in the number.

It turned out that this year's increase was only 20,000, and the number of government-supported fiscal jobs, so-called'public ambulances' increased by more than 100,000 from last year.

Those who originally worked part-time can be seen as reduced by the difference.

The decline in part-time workers would normally be a good sign, but with the decline in the total number of jobs, it seems more likely that they were pushed out of the job market altogether. 

non-regular worker has a problem of not only instability in employment but also lower wages while doing the same job.

This year, the polarization of these wages intensified, showing the largest ever in statistics. 

From June to August this year, let's take a three-month average wage.

The average monthly wage of non-regular workers was 1.711,000 won, down 18,000 won from the average last year.

On the other hand, the average monthly wage of regular workers was 3,344,000 won, an increase of 69,000 won from last year.

There is a difference of 1523,000 won.

Statistics Korea has conducted this count since 2004, and since then, the gap is the largest.

In the meantime, both regular and non-regular workers' wages have steadily increased along with inflation.

However, the trend of regular workers did not change, while non-regular workers decreased again and again. 

The National Statistical Office pointed to the coronavirus as the cause.

"The number of temporary workers on temporary leave increased by about three times from last year due to Corona 19," said Chung Dong-wook, head of the Statistical Office's Employment Statistics Division. "The average wage has decreased." 

Temporary leave is considered as employed.

Whether the leave is paid or unpaid.

You think you can get back to work soon.

In the aviation, travel, lodging, and food industries hit by Corona 19, the number of ``temporary leave'' who temporarily take a break this year has surged.

As the number of unpaid leavers shifted to the inactive population after six months, the employment statistics for September also showed that they took a break and the number of those who gave up job hunting increased significantly.

This trend is expected to continue in October. 

The type of work in which the average monthly wage decreased the most was also non-term. While the number of fixed-term workers increased by 70,000 won from 1.86,000 won last year to 1.877,000 won this year, non-term workers dropped nearly 330,000 won from 2.71 million won last year to 1.71 million won this year. Not only has the number of non-term workers decreased, but even if they remain employed, it is likely that they will often take unpaid leave. 

Another reason for the decline in wages for non-regular workers is the expansion of government fiscal jobs. Public jobs for the elderly are typical, and although they are jobs, the wages are very low at the level of the minimum wage because this can be seen as a de facto welfare benefit. As these jobs contributed to an increase of 97,000 part-time workers, they also lowered the average wage for that type of work. (Average wage for part-time workers: 977,000 won → 90.3 million won) So, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance explained that "except for part-time workers, the wages for non-regular workers increased by 30,000 won compared to the same period last year." 

jobs that

were blown away, and the wage gap widened. Along with the efforts to create more jobs through the economic recovery, the employment safety net of the few remaining jobs has also become important. 

The social insurance coverage rate for non-regular workers has improved somewhat. Employment insurance was 46.1%, an increase of 1.2%p from last year, and health insurance also increased by 1%p. In the case of employment insurance, temporary and part-time workers increased, while atypical workers decreased. This also seems to be a change due to the rapid increase in daily employment. The total labor union membership rate is 12.3%, and non-regular workers are 3%. 

To sum up, the COVID-19 employment shock was insane for regular and non-regular workers, but the cold wave turned out to be a bigger blow to non-regular workers with thinner clothes. This is a topic that requires more government attention and role. 

The government plans to continue the transition to regular workers while improving the working conditions for non-regular workers. At the end of this year, it is announced that the <Guidelines for Stabilizing Employment of Fixed-Term Workers> will be revised to incorporate the principle of hiring regular and continuous workers and prohibiting unreasonable discrimination. It is said that it will provide consulting by creating a group of experts called the'Employment Structure Improvement Support Group' so that this can be settled well in the field.