"The Deep Shadow of Corona"... Increase in Single Unemployed People

The Proportion of Single-Person Households Exceeds 30% for the First Time
But the Employment Rate Among Single-Person Households Falls to the 50% Range

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Last year, the number and proportion of single-person households reached an all-time high, while the proportion of employed single-person households actually decreased. Dual-income households also sharply declined by nearly 70,000 compared to the previous year. This reflects the prolonged employment slump and caregiving burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the "2020 Second Half Regional Employment Survey on Dual-Income Households and Single-Person Household Employment Status" released by Statistics Korea on the 22nd, the number of single-person households in Korea reached 6.214 million as of October last year, an increase of 175,000 households (2.9%) from 6.039 million in 2019. The proportion of single-person households among all households rose by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year to 30.4%, surpassing 30% for the first time. Both the number and proportion of single-person households are the highest since related statistics began in 2015.

However, the employment growth rate did not keep pace with the increase in single-person households, and the proportion of employed single-person households actually declined. During the same survey period, the number of employed single-person households increased only slightly from 3.671 million to 3.7 million, while the employment rate dropped from 60.7% to 59.6%. A Statistics Korea official explained, "Young people and those aged 60 and over make up a large portion of single-person households, and the employment status of these groups affected by COVID-19 is directly reflected in the employment status of single-person households."

By age group, employed households were most numerous among those aged 50-64 (1.025 million), followed by 30-39 (816,000), and 40-49 (699,000). Compared to the previous year, the proportion increased by 1.1 percentage points for those aged 65 and over (12.7%), while it decreased by 0.6 percentage points each for the 30-39 (22.0%) and 40-49 (18.9%) age groups.

By industry, single-person employed households were most common in business, personal, and public services (1.538 million), followed by wholesale and retail trade, accommodation, and food services (696,000). The proportion in business, personal, and public services rose by 1.9 percentage points to 41.6%, while wholesale and retail trade, accommodation, and food services decreased by 0.9 percentage points to 18.8%. By employment status, wage workers numbered 2.955 million households, and non-wage workers 745,000. Compared to the previous year, the proportion of wage workers increased by 0.6 percentage points to 79.9%, while non-wage workers decreased by 0.6 percentage points to 20.1%.

The average weekly working hours for single-person employed households was 39 hours, down 1.3 hours from 40.3 hours the previous year. Men worked 41.4 hours and women 35.8 hours, decreasing by 1.3 hours and 1.4 hours respectively compared to the previous year.

Wage polarization among single-person employed households was also notable. The largest proportion (35.7%) earned between 2 million and 3 million KRW, though this decreased by 0.3 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, the proportions earning less than 1 million KRW and more than 4 million KRW both increased by 0.7 and 0.2 percentage points respectively, reaching 12.4% each.

Dual-income households also sharply declined. Last year, among 12.332 million married households, 5.593 million were dual-income, a decrease of 69,000 households compared to the previous year. The proportion of dual-income households peaked at 46.3% in 2018, then declined to 46.0% in 2019 and 45.4% last year, marking two consecutive years of decrease.

By household head age, the proportion of dual-income households was highest among those aged 40-49 (53.1%), followed by 30-39 (51.3%) and 50-64 (49.3%). Compared to the previous year, the proportion increased by 1.1 percentage points for the 30-39 age group but decreased by 1.1 percentage points for the 40-49 age group. The average weekly working hours for dual-income households was 39.8 hours, down 1.3 hours from the previous year.

Regarding this, a Statistics Korea official said, "The decrease in female employment numbers amid the overall employment slump last year is reflected in the decline of dual-income households," adding, "Increased caregiving burdens and the overall impact of social distancing measures have affected employment in certain industries."

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