One in Three Technical Staff at Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Reports 'Anxiety and Depression'

Survey Results on the Working Conditions of Technical Public Officials
50% of Respondents Report "Excessive Work Stress," 63% Consider Changing Jobs

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] A survey revealed that one out of three technical staff members at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education suffers from anxiety disorders and depression caused by stress.

On the 17th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education General Staff Labor Union conducted a ‘Survey on the Working Environment of Technical Public Officials’ on February 4-5 targeting 220 technical staff under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and its affiliated education support offices. Among the 167 respondents, 50% (84 people) answered that ‘work stress is severe.’

Among those who answered that work stress was severe, 78% reported a deterioration in mental health such as anxiety disorders or depression. This was followed by worsening of neurotic disorders (14%) and both neurotic and mental disorders (5%).

Among respondents who said work stress was excessive, 49% considered taking sick leave or leave of absence, and 17% reported having received psychiatric hospital treatment or counseling.

Six out of ten respondents (63%) said they were considering changing jobs. Additionally, 47% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their work.

Regarding the survey on situations with high work stress intensity, the results were ▲excessive workload (staff shortage) 57%, ▲disadvantages due to malicious complaints 25%, and ▲work imbalance 13%, in that order.

96% of all respondents answered that in order to comply with the academic schedule, they forced the execution of projects within the period, failing to prevent safety accidents and secure an appropriate construction period. As alternatives, they answered ▲establishment of a standard construction period 39%, ▲review of academic schedule adjustments involving academic operation authorities 26%, and ▲securing construction periods followed by integration of unit projects 16%, in that order.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education General Staff Labor Union stated, "Facilities and staff are placed in a poor working environment suffering from excessive workload and malicious complaints, and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education does not have appropriate measures for this." They criticized, "The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education only issues superficial, showy policies and does not consider the working environment of workers (facilities and staff) at all, perceiving them only as tools for policy implementation."

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education General Staff Labor Union demanded, "To create a work environment free from work stress at the education office level, a ‘Work Stress Countermeasure Organization’ led by the Deputy Superintendent should be established to promote measures and monitor their implementation." They also insisted, "Effective detailed measures such as increasing personnel, appropriate distribution of workload, and training for vulnerable workers must be prepared."

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