Nearly half of South Korea on regular payroll earned less than 2 million won ($1,773) a month during the latter half of last year, government data showed.

According to employment data released by Statics Korea on Tuesday, of 19.69 million on a payroll, 11.4 percent earned less than 1 million won a month and 33.8 percent from 1 million won to 2 million won. Another 26.4 percent earned from 2 million won to 3 million won, 14.2 percent from 3 million won to 4 million won, and 14.3 percent more than 4 million won.

The number of waged workers whose monthly salary averaged 2 million won or more during the last six months of last year increased 2.2 percentage points from a year ago period. The number of workers earning less than 1 million won and from 1 million won to 2 million won decreased 1 percentage point and 1.2 percentage points on year.

By industry, the science and technical service sector paid most well with salary-earners earning 4 million won or more accounted for a 34.6 percent share. The finance and insurance sector came next with 32.1 percent and publication, media, and information service segment with 29.4 percent. Workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector earned the least with 47.5 percent in the segment earning less than 1 million won.

Suggesting job scarcity for female and young people of 29 and under, 12 percent of the female and 13.3 percent of the young work force got their salaries from poorly paying work in dining and drinking service sector.

By Kim Se-woong

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]