'Goodbye Corona'... Significant Increase in Restaurant Employment with Rise in In-Person Activities

In the second half of last year, as the impact of COVID-19 subsided, employment in face-to-face service industries such as restaurants and pubs significantly increased. The proportion of wage workers earning more than 3 million won also rose.

According to the "2022 Second Half Regional Employment Survey: Characteristics of Employed Persons by Industry and Occupation" released by Statistics Korea on the 18th, as of October last year, the number of employed persons in the "restaurant and pub industry" increased by 114,000 compared to the same period the previous year. The restaurant and pub industry accounted for 5.7% (1,607,000 people) of total employment, the largest share among all 232 industries, and increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous year.

From the second half of last year, as COVID-19 eased and outdoor activities increased, employment in pubs, cafes, and non-alcoholic beverage sectors grew. The number of cooks and food and beverage service workers increased by 72,000 and 61,000 respectively compared to the same period last year. This was the second-largest increase after the growth in administrative clerks (81,000) compared to the previous year. In particular, the number of workers aged 15 to 29 increased significantly by 53,000 compared to the previous year.

The proportion of employed persons earning a monthly average wage of 3 million won or more also increased compared to the second half of last year. Conversely, the proportion of those earning less than 2 million won decreased. Specifically, compared to the previous year, the proportion of workers earning 4 million won or more and those earning between 3 million and 4 million won increased by 2.9 percentage points and 2.7 percentage points, respectively. Meanwhile, those earning between 1 million and 2 million won, less than 1 million won, and between 2 million and 3 million won decreased by 4.4 percentage points, 0.9 percentage points, and 0.3 percentage points, respectively. Overall, wage workers' incomes appear to be leveling up.

A Statistics Korea official explained, "In South Korea, wage workers earning between 2 million and 3 million won constitute the largest proportion (33.8%), and income among wage workers has increased compared to the same period last year."

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