Average Age of Korean Public Officials 42.2 Years... Paternity Leave Among Male Officials Doubled Compared to 5 Years Ago

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The average age of all public officials in South Korea was calculated to be 42.2 years, with an average length of service of 14.2 years. The proportion of female public officials increased by 1.7 percentage points (p) compared to five years ago, reaching 46.7%.

Among public officials who have taken parental leave, 51.6% have used it, with 32.8% being men and 77.1% women. The proportion of men taking parental leave has more than doubled compared to five years ago.

According to the results of the "2023 Public Officials Census" released by the Ministry of Personnel Management on the 30th, the average age of public officials was 42.2 years, lower than 43 years five years ago.

As of August last year, the total number of public officials was 1,221,746. Among the 1,115,517 eligible respondents excluding those on leave, 950,610 (85.2%) participated in this survey.

By age group, those in their 40s accounted for the largest proportion at 30.5%, followed by those in their 30s at 28.7%, those aged 50 and above at 28.4%, and those 20 and under at 12.4%.

Average Age Trend of Public Officials (Source: Ministry of Personnel Management)

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Compared to five years ago, the proportion of those aged 20 and under increased by 1.9 percentage points, and those in their 30s increased by 1.3 percentage points, while those in their 40s decreased by 2.2 percentage points and those aged 50 and above decreased by 0.9 percentage points.

The average length of service in public office was 14.2 years, which is two years shorter than in 2018 (16.2 years). The proportion of female public officials increased by 1.7 percentage points to 46.7% compared to five years ago.

In response to the question, "Considering everything, do you feel a sense of fulfillment in your public service career?" 41.5% answered that they do feel fulfilled, while 21.3% said they do not.

The occupation with the highest job satisfaction was firefighters, with 64.3% reporting a sense of fulfillment, and only 6.4% reporting otherwise.

34.3% of respondents said they are considering changing jobs, with the most common reason being low salary levels (51.2%). Excessive workload (9.8%) and rigid organizational culture (8.7%) followed.

Analyzing national level 5th-grade administrative officers who were newly appointed at the 9th grade and promoted up to the 5th grade, the average time taken for promotion was 23.6 years, which is 0.8 years shorter than in 2018.

The average number of children among public officials with children was 1.81, a decrease of 0.07 compared to five years ago. Among public officials with children in elementary school (grades 1-2) or younger (186,399 people), 51.6% had experience using parental leave. Among them, 32.8% of men and 77.1% of women had taken parental leave.

Compared to five years ago, the rate of parental leave usage increased by 6.1 percentage points. For men, it more than doubled (from 13.9% to 32.8%), but for women, it decreased by 10 percentage points. In particular, female education officials saw a decrease of 25.7 percentage points (from 87.1% to 61.4%).

22.7% of public officials leave work on time, while 31.2% work more than two hours of overtime per day.

The public officials included in this survey are those belonging to the executive branch and local governments. To compare trends with previous censuses, constitutional institutions (National Assembly, courts, Constitutional Court, Central Election Commission) among national public officials were excluded.

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