The Service-ification of Holiday Labor... Unique Part-Time Jobs Born from COVID-19

Ahead of Chuseok, unique short-term part-time job opportunities such as "beolcho daehang" (grass cutting service) are emerging. / Photo by Song Hyundo, Asia Economy intern reporter

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung, Intern Reporter Song Hyundo] #Park (60), who lives in Seoul, plans to entrust the task of grave clearing to an agency this year. The cost for clearing three graves is about 240,000 to 300,000 KRW, which, when divided among siblings, amounts to about 60,000 to 80,000 KRW per person. Mr. A said, "Considering the effort and time to travel to the distant hometown for grave clearing, the cost is reasonable," but also added, "It is somewhat regrettable that even the family members who used to meet at least once during the holidays because of grave clearing are drifting apart."

As Chuseok (September 10) approaches, so-called 'unique holiday part-time jobs' are rapidly increasing. In the past, family members handled tasks such as grave clearing and preparing ceremonial food themselves, but now these are entrusted to agencies for a fee. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of households using holiday part-time job services has been rapidly increasing. Experts foresee that the 'servicification' of holiday labor could potentially change Korean society.

Short-term holiday jobs such as grave clearing services have existed for a long time. The NongHyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation) has been providing grave clearing services since 1994, and the Korea Forest Service has also built its own computer network to offer grave clearing services.

However, holiday part-time jobs have only recently become systematically established. The facilitation of transactions between service providers and consumers through applications (apps) has especially helped.

Not only labor related to traditional holiday preparations such as grave clearing and setting up ancestral rites tables, but also services like cleaning empty houses and pet care are traded as part of service contracts. / Photo by Danggeun Market website capture

For example, 'Danggeun Market,' a well-known secondhand trading and part-time job brokerage website, launched a 'Chuseok Alba' service on the 19th to prepare for the surge in short-term job demand during Chuseok. Consumers can select various holiday-related part-time jobs 'near me' simply by accessing the app.

Holiday part-time jobs are not limited to grave clearing. There are services that prepare ceremonial tables, gift wrapping tasks, and even pet-sitting services for families who are away from home for extended periods. It has essentially evolved into a stage where all household chores that inconvenienced people during the holidays are outsourced as services.

The COVID-19 pandemic also played a role in this trend. Since 2020, social distancing measures were implemented, and citizens' travel to their hometowns was restricted. During this time, local governments actively recommended entrusting ancestral grave mound management, maintenance, and grave clearing to agency services.

The service for delegating grave mowing has rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: NongHyup / Photo by Song Hyun-do, Asia Economy intern reporter

According to NongHyup, the number of grave clearing service cases surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was only 17,008 cases in 2019, but increased by about 43.6% to 24,422 cases in 2020 when social distancing was enforced, and further rose by 12.5% to 27,476 cases last year compared to the previous year. Including private services using part-time job websites or brokerage apps, the actual number of cases is expected to be much higher.

Mr. Lim (58), a resident of the metropolitan area who used grave clearing services for the first time last year, said, "Having experts handle it immediately made spending the holidays much easier," and added, "A few years ago, I had no idea such a convenient way of grave clearing existed, but COVID-19 was the trigger. I plan to continue using it."

Some express concerns that the significance of holidays may fade. Mr. Shim, in his 60s, said, "Managing ancestral graves or preparing ceremonial tables by oneself was, in a way, a tradition, but it seems like it will end with our generation, which feels bittersweet."

Experts explain that if holiday part-time jobs continue to spread, citizens' attitudes toward holidays like Seollal and Chuseok will inevitably change. Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "This type of labor is especially preferred by the MZ generation, so it is likely to gain even more popularity in the future," and predicted, "As traditional tasks evolve into tradable services, the position of holidays in our society and the surrounding atmosphere will inevitably change drastically."

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