43.2% of Multi-Job Seoul Women Are 'Livelihood Workers'... Highest Rate in Their 50s

'Seoul City Women's Job Demand Survey by Generation' Results
32.1% for Livelihood and Extra Funds, 24.7% for Self-Realization
40.4% Multi-Job Holders Work Over 9 Hours Daily... 19.7% Work More Than 26 Days a Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Among women in Seoul who have multiple jobs (multi-job or N-job), 43% responded that it was an unavoidable choice for livelihood. In particular, the proportion of livelihood-driven multi-job workers increased with age, reaching 51% among those in their 50s.

On the 3rd, Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Women's Capability Development Institute conducted a "Job Demand Survey by Generation of Women in Seoul" targeting 1,247 women aged 20 to 59 working in Seoul, revealing these results. This survey was conducted to examine the actual conditions of women's jobs by generation, focusing on multi-jobs amid the labor market upheaval caused by the 4th Industrial Revolution and COVID-19, and to utilize the findings for establishing job training strategies needed in the gig economy and digital-based era.

According to the survey, out of the total 1,247 respondents, more than half, 690, answered that they consider themselves "N-jobbers." Among them, the largest group, 43.2%, were livelihood-driven N-jobbers who chose multiple jobs out of necessity, citing reasons such as "one job's income is insufficient for living expenses," "it is difficult to find a job with stable income," and "income from desired work is not stable."

Next, 32.1% were N-jobbers aiming to secure extra funds beyond living expenses, and 24.7% were self-realization type N-jobbers who selected reasons like "to experience new work" and "to work the desired amount at desired times." By age group, those in their 20s had the highest proportion of extra fund-securing type at 37.9%, those in their 40s had the highest self-realization type at 32.8%, and those in their 50s had the highest livelihood-driven type at 51.3%.

The proportion of N-job women working 9 hours a day was more than twice that of single-job workers. The percentage of N-job women working more than 9 hours a day was 40.4%, significantly exceeding the 22.4% of single-job workers. Regarding the average number of working days per month, 19.7% of N-jobbers answered that they work 26 days or more per month, compared to 9.7% for single-job workers.

The criteria for a good job differed by age group. The top priority for a good job among the 20s and 30s was "a job that allows work-life balance," with 23.3% for those in their 20s and 23.2% for those in their 30s. For the 40s and 50s, the top priority was "a job that fits my aptitude and preferences," with 21.6% for those in their 40s and 22.3% for those in their 50s. The 50s showed a higher preference for "stable jobs with four major social insurances guaranteed," at 11.9%, compared to other generations.

In the recent changing job environment, the most needed job policy for women in Seoul was "focused matching to related occupations after completing education" (91.2%), followed by "detailed job training programs by occupation" (89.5%) and "job training support for special employment and freelancers" (89.4%).

Kim Ki-hyun, Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women's Policy Officer, said, "Based on these research results, we plan to implement job training and job policies reflecting the new job landscape, including operating a women's job platform for various employment types, building communities by occupation, developing e-learning programs, and researching online education infrastructure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.