Face-to-Face Services Hit Hard by COVID-19... Food Service "Income Decrease" Response Rate 100%

Employment Information Service Announces Survey Results of 16,000 Workers on COVID-19 Job Impact
Half of High School Graduates or Below, One in Three 2030s Say "Income Decreased Due to COVID"
Employment Information Service "Income Support and Job Training for Face-to-Face Service Workers"

Yongsan-gu, Seoul, has joined hands with building owners, merchants, and experts to revive the Itaewon commercial district, which was devastated by COVID-19. The Itaewon Commercial District Revival Resolution Rally was held on the 13th of last month, but the Itaewon street was deserted. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] A survey result was released showing that last year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one in two workers with a high school diploma or less and two in three workers in their 20s and 30s responded that their "wages or income decreased."

The Korea Employment Information Service announced on the 20th the results of a survey conducted from August to November last year with 16,244 workers across 537 occupations. The survey asked four questions regarding changes after the spread of COVID-19: wage/income increase or decrease, changes in working methods, changes in job content, and changes in workload.

Top 10 Occupations with the Highest Response Rates for 'Decreased' and 'Increased' Compensation for Work. (Source: Korea Employment Information Service)

35.8% of respondents said their wages or income decreased. It was found that face-to-face service industries were severely impacted. The response rates for "income decreased" were highest among food service managers at 100%, theater and musical actors at 97.1%, models at 96.8%, ship cabin crew at 96.8%, and entertainment instructors at 96.7%. Those who answered "increased" were highest among delivery workers at 63.3%, family medicine doctors at 60%, quarantine workers at 46.7%, online salespersons at 46.7%, and system software developers at 43.3%.

Researcher Choi Ki-seong of the Employment Information Service explained, "Face-to-face service workers were more affected by COVID-19 than office workers or technical and skilled workers. Among service workers, demand for essential life-related occupations such as food and medical health surged, but demand for travel and culture plummeted."

By age group, 34.5% of those in their 20s or younger and 32% of those in their 30s responded that their income decreased. The percentages increased with age: 35.7% in their 40s, 41.6% in their 50s, and 50.5% for those 60 and older. By education level, 46% of high school graduates or less, 34.4% of college graduates, and 21.7% of those with a master's degree or higher reported decreased wages or income. By gender, 39.9% of women responded "decreased," higher than 34% of men.

Compensation response results for work. (Data=Korea Employment Information Service)

When asked if their working methods had changed, 35% answered "yes." The response rates by age group were 34.4% for those 20 or younger, 37.7% for those in their 30s, 36.2% for those in their 40s, 29.2% for those in their 50s, and 24.9% for those 60 and older. Among workers in education, events, and tourism sectors, many answered that changes had occurred. Specifically, 100% of system software developers, 100% of middle and high school teachers, 96.7% of elementary school teachers, 96.7% of travel product developers, and 93.5% of middle and high school principals and vice principals reported changes.

Regarding workload, 46.3% responded that it "decreased," while only 6.5% said it "increased." By education level, the proportions who answered "decreased" were 54.7% for high school graduates or less, 46.5% for college graduates, and 27.5% for those with a master's degree or higher. Among women, 52.4% said their workload decreased, compared to 43.7% of men. Insurance solicitors (insurance planners), dancers, travel agents, and ship cabin crew all reported a 100% rate of decreased workload. Food delivery workers (90%), delivery workers (83.3%), and online salespersons (73.3%) followed. 40% of respondents said their job content decreased after COVID-19, while 7.7% said it increased.

Researcher Choi suggested, "As non-face-to-face services and digital transformation accelerate due to COVID-19, it is necessary to pursue employment stability for workers whose workload and income are decreasing through income support and vocational training."

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