"Too Little": 9 Out of 10 Public Officials Dissatisfied With Pay... Young Employees Say "I'm Quitting"
by Park Eunseo
Published 18 Aug.2025 15:59(KST)
Updated 18 Aug.2025 17:27(KST)
"Lower Pay Than the Private Sector, More Work"
Accelerating Exodus of Young Public Officials
"Abusive Complaints from the Public"
The Allure of Civil Service Is Gone
Calls for Better Wages and Working Conditions
Protests Continue
The trend of public officials leaving the civil service is becoming increasingly pronounced, as they grow weary of low wages and abusive complaints from the public. This phenomenon is especially evident among younger generations, leading to a decline in the popularity of civil service jobs, which were once considered stable and desirable.
The National Federation of City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Unions held a sit-in protest on the 12th in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, demanding a wage increase for public officials. City, County, and District Federation
원본보기 아이콘According to an "Employment and Living Conditions Survey of Public Officials" released by the National Federation of City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Unions (City, County, and District Federation) on August 18, 64.7% of 1,924 city, county, and district public officials nationwide said they were considering leaving their jobs due to "low wages." In a previous survey released on August 8, 55.2% of respondents cited "abusive complaints and excessive work-related stress" as reasons for considering resignation.
"Lower Salaries Than the Private Sector, More Work"... Accelerating Exodus of Young Employees
The National Federation of City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Unions held a sit-in protest on the 12th in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, demanding a wage increase for public officials. City, County, and District Federation
원본보기 아이콘Currently, public officials' salaries are only about 84% of the average at private companies with 100 or more employees. In fact, 93.7% of surveyed public officials said their pay was low, with dissatisfaction particularly high among lower-ranking officials. Specifically, 97.6% of Grade 9 officials, 97.9% of Grade 8, 95.0% of Grade 7, and 84.9% of those Grade 6 and above said their salaries were insufficient.
In addition, the frequency of overtime work was high at 48.8%, while satisfaction with compensation for overtime was very low at just 14.6%. Only 6.8% of all respondents said they received material rewards proportional to their performance, while 93.2% said they did not receive adequate compensation.
"Abusive Behavior from the Public"... The Appeal of Civil Service Is a Thing of the Past
On top of low pay, the reality of having to deal with abusive complaints and power harassment from the public is also cited as a major reason why young officials are leaving. In the survey released on August 8, 43.0% of all respondents said they had considered quitting due to abusive complaints. By rank, the proportion was highest among Grade 8 officials at 47.3%, followed by Grade 9 (44.1%), Grade 7 (41.3%), and Grade 6 and above (39.5%).
For these reasons, civil service jobs are no longer seen as attractive among job seekers. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the competition ratio for the Grade 9 local civil service exam held in June was 8.8 to 1 on average, the lowest in the past five years. This is interpreted as a result of growing perceptions that "the private sector is better," due to low pay and the stress of dealing with public complaints.
Calls for Improved Wages and Working Conditions... Protests Continue
On the 6th, the Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions held a rally for "Securing the Livelihood Rights of Public Officials" in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office. Gongnochoong
원본보기 아이콘The government has also expressed its intention to improve working conditions in order to prevent the outflow of public officials. At a Cabinet meeting in June, President Lee Jaemyung instructed officials to devise measures, asking, "Aren't young public officials quitting because their pay is too low?" The Ministry of Personnel Management also reported plans to raise the starting monthly salary for Grade 9 officials to around 3 million won by 2027.
However, next year's wage increase for public officials is expected to be only 2.7% to 2.9%, making it unlikely that these goals will be achieved. Kim Minseong, Secretary-General of the City, County, and District Federation, stressed, "The government's pledge of a '3 million won monthly salary' is nothing but an empty promise," and added, "Ensuring pay equivalent to the private sector during the president's term is not a choice, but a responsibility."
Meanwhile, the City, County, and District Federation held a sit-in protest demanding wage increases in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office on August 12. On August 6, the Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions also staged a labor rally for "Securing the Livelihood Rights of Public Officials and Teachers" in the Yongsan Presidential Office area. Public officials' organizations are continuing to hold rallies, demanding improvements to the overall working environment and organizational culture.
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