"Rather Than Being Tied to a Company..." Rapid Increase in 2030 Generation Delivery Workers Over 5 Years

Half of the Increased Workers in Transportation Warehouse Industry Between 2017 and 2022 Are in the 2030 Generation
Manufacturing and Finance Employment Declines... FKI Calls for Labor Hour Flexibility to Bridge Gap Between Large and Small-Medium Enterprises

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] In his 20s, office worker Kim secured a job at a large corporation after many hardships. However, after starting work, he found it very difficult and his salary was lower than expected, leading to feelings of disillusionment. Before employment, Kim worked part-time as a delivery rider, where the hourly wage was more than 1.5 times higher and the working hours were relatively flexible. He is now considering switching careers to become a professional rider.

The preference among people in their 20s and 30s for transportation jobs such as delivery, which pay according to work done and are free from organizational constraints, is increasing. According to the Federation of Korean Industries on the 24th, an analysis of employment numbers by industry over the past five years (September 2017 to September 2022) shows that as of last month, the total number of workers in the transportation and warehousing sector rose from 1,402,000 to 1,641,000, an increase of 17% (239,000). Among them, those in their 20s and 30s accounted for 122,000, more than half. Among 21 industries overall, the transportation and warehousing sector saw the largest increase in employment among people in their 20s and 30s.

In contrast, the labor shortage in manufacturing, classified as a high-quality job sector, is intensifying. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Business Labor Survey, as of last month, there were 226,000 vacant jobs due to companies being unable to find workers. Among these, businesses with fewer than 300 employees accounted for 96.9% (219,000), and manufacturing made up 30.4% (67,000).

The number of manufacturing workers in their 20s and 30s was 1,647,000, a decrease of 8.7% compared to five years ago. Compared to the overall manufacturing workforce, which decreased by 0.6% over the same period, this suggests a significant outflow of workers in their 20s and 30s from manufacturing.

The number of workers in their 20s and 30s in the financial and insurance sector, considered a stable and quality job, also declined. As of September this year, the number of workers in financial and insurance industries was 265,067, down 22.2% (76,000) from five years ago. Compared to the overall decrease of 3.8% (31,000) across all age groups, the decline among workers in their 20s and 30s was substantial.

The Federation of Korean Industries explained that the increase in platform workers such as delivery riders influenced the rise in employment in the transportation and warehousing sector. Kim Yongchun, head of the employment policy team at the Federation, said, "The MZ generation prefers transportation jobs like delivery, which pay according to work done and are free from organizational constraints, over poor-quality jobs at small and medium-sized manufacturing companies." He suggested, "Efforts should be made to reduce the gap between large and small-medium enterprises through flexible working hours."

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