37% of Foreign Workers in Korea Earn Over 3 Million Won per Month

National Data Agency Releases Results on Immigrant Living Conditions
For the First Time, Professionals Lead in Proportion Earning Over 3 Million Won

Last year, 37% of foreigners working in Korea earned an average monthly wage of 3 million won or more. In particular, more than half of specialized workers received salaries of at least 3 million won.

On March 10, the National Data Office announced the results of the "2025 Survey on the Living Conditions and Employment Status of Immigrants by Residency Status in Korea." This report is a breakdown of the "Survey on the Living Conditions and Employment Status of Immigrants" released in December last year, with results categorized by residency status.

According to the survey, among all foreign wage workers, the most common average monthly wage range was "2 million to less than 3 million won" at 50.2%, followed by "3 million won or more" at 36.9%.

By residency status, the proportion of workers earning "2 million to less than 3 million won" was highest among non-professional employment (68.9%), marriage-based immigrants (48.9%), and visit-employment status holders (42.8%). In contrast, the proportion earning "3 million won or more" was higher among permanent residents (59.3%), specialized workers (50.8%), and overseas Koreans (46.3%).

Notably, for specialized workers, the proportion earning "3 million won or more" surpassed those in the "2 million to less than 3 million won" bracket for the first time since related statistics were first compiled in 2012.

For international students, the largest group earned "1 million to less than 2 million won," accounting for 51.2%.

Regarding working hours among foreign workers, "40 to less than 50 hours per week" was the most common at 58.1%, followed by "50 to less than 60 hours" at 17.8%, and "60 hours or more" at 8.7%.

In terms of job satisfaction, 68.7% of all foreign workers responded that they were "satisfied." By residency status, satisfaction was relatively high for non-professional employment (77.0%) and specialized workers (74.7%).

Among foreign workers, 10.8% expressed a desire to change jobs.

The leading reason for seeking a job change was "low wages" at 38.4%, followed by "work is difficult or dangerous" at 22.0%. "Low wages" was the most common response across all residency statuses, including specialized workers (47.8%) and overseas Koreans (38.2%).

In the past year, 12.9% of foreigners reported experiencing economic difficulties. By residency status, international students had the highest proportion (22.0%), followed by visit-employment (15.8%), and overseas Koreans (14.2%).

Types of difficulties experienced included "unable to receive medical care due to the burden of hospital expenses" (36.2%), "unable to pay utility bills on time" (29.4%), and "difficulty in raising tuition for oneself or family members" (25.0%).

Regarding the nationality of foreign residents by residency status: among non-professional employment (87.2%), specialized workers (53.7%), and marriage-based immigrants (35.2%), the majority were from other Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and the Philippines. Meanwhile, for visit-employment (87.4%), overseas Koreans (74.4%), and permanent residents (69.7%), most were ethnic Koreans from China, often referred to as "Joseonjok." Among international students, Vietnamese nationals accounted for the largest share (42.3%), followed by other Asian countries (32.5%).

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