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| Non-regular workers work inside an automobile factory in Korea. Korea Times file |
Non-regular workers have been hit harder by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic than regular workers, a survey showed Saturday.
In a survey of 1,000 salaried workers aged 19 or above conducted from March 17 to 23 by pollster Embrain Public, 18.6 percent said they had experienced unemployment since the coronavirus broke out here in January last year.
By employment status, 35.8 percent of non-regular workers experienced job loss, five times higher than the corresponding rate of 7.2 percent for regular workers, the poll found.
It said 34.8 percent of all respondents suffered reductions in income over the past year, and the damage was more extensive among non-regular employees. Nearly six in 10, or 58.3 percent, complained of pay cuts, compared with 19.2 percent for regular workers.
One in five respondents, or 21.3 percent, said they were forced to take leave. The proportion of involuntary leave was far higher among non-regulars at 35.5 percent, compared to 11.8 percent for regular workers, according to the survey.
Almost half of the respondents, or 43.9 percent, said their employment situation was unstable and the sense of employment insecurity was also far higher among non-regular employees.
The survey found 63.8 percent of them feel insecure about their employment, compared with 30.7 percent for regular workers.
The economic damage has been largely concentrated on non-regular workers, including freelancers and subcontracted employees, Gabjil 119, a pro-labor civic organization said, calling on the government to hand out disaster relief for those who are not covered by employment insurance benefits. (Yonhap)
