One in Ten Mid-Career Job Changers Two Years Ago Joined Large Corporations

A job information notice is posted on the job information board at an employment support center in Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

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Among workers who changed workplaces from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the year before last, only about one in ten moved to large corporations.

According to the '2022 Job Mobility Statistics Results' released by Statistics Korea on the 5th, the total number of registered employed persons as of December last year was 26,057,000, an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous year. Compared to the previous year, those who remained working at the same company numbered 17,987,000, accounting for 69% of the total, the largest group.

Those who moved between companies numbered 4,159,000 (16.0%), following behind. Entrants who moved from unemployment to employment were counted at 3,911,000 (15.0%).

Compared to 2021, entrants decreased by 116,000 (2.9%), while those who remained increased by 486,000 (2.8%), and movers increased by 197,000 (5.0%). Those who were employed in 2021 but not working in 2022, classified as unregistered, numbered 3,344,000, a decrease of 24,000 (0.7%) from the previous year.

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Looking at the data by company size, 71.3% of all movers (4,159,000) were from SMEs, 14.9% from large corporations, and 13.9% from non-profit organizations.

The majority of SME movers (81.9%) moved to other SMEs. The remaining 12.0% transferred to large corporations, and 6.1% moved to non-profit organizations.

Among those who moved from large corporations, 38.1% moved to other large corporations, while 56.0% moved to SMEs.

By age group, job mobility was more active among younger people. The job mobility rate was highest at 22.1% for those aged 29 and under, followed by those in their 30s (16.6%), and those aged 60 and over (14.7%).

About three out of ten workers moved to jobs with decreased wages, such as taking part-time jobs after retirement.

Among wage workers who changed jobs from 2021 to 2022, 65.1% moved to jobs with increased wages, while 34.0% moved to jobs with decreased wages.

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