'Eight Out of Ten Couriers Earning 5.81 Million Won Monthly Oppose Late-Night Delivery Ban, Citing Direct Impact on Livelihoods'

Eight out of ten delivery workers are opposed to regulations restricting late-night deliveries.

Ahead of Black Friday, overseas direct purchase items are piled up at the Incheon Customs Headquarters Express Logistics Center in Jung-gu, Incheon on the 20th. 2025.11.20 Photo by Dongju Yoon

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On December 1, the Korean Labor Economics Association released the results of a study titled "Survey on the Actual Conditions and Improvement Measures for Nighttime Delivery Workers," led by Professor Park Youngbum of the Department of Economics at Hansung University.

According to a survey conducted by Korea Research, respondents reported an average monthly income of approximately 5.81 million won. Most worked five days a week (76.2%) and handled around 290 deliveries per day, working an average of 9.58 hours daily. Among the respondents, 53% expressed that they were "satisfied or more" with their income, and 66.3% said their livelihoods had improved since starting nighttime delivery work.

The main reason for choosing nighttime delivery was "better income" (51.5%), while the biggest advantage cited was "high work efficiency due to smooth traffic and fewer interruptions" (65.8% ranked it first, with a combined first and second choice total of 85.6%). Among nighttime delivery workers, 78.2% expressed their intention to continue in this line of work in the future.

Professor Park analyzed, "Nighttime delivery serves as an important means for workers to generate high income and sustain their livelihoods through voluntary choice."

In particular, nighttime delivery workers demonstrated a strong desire to determine their own work methods, with 86.6% agreeing they could autonomously decide their working hours. Among those surveyed, 83.7% opposed the government's introduction of regulations that would restrict late-night deliveries to protect workers' health. Furthermore, 90.6% expressed opposition to the introduction of a day-night delivery shift system.

Overseas direct purchase items are piled up at the Incheon Customs Headquarters Express Logistics Center in Jung-gu, Incheon, ahead of Black Friday on the 20th. 2025.11.20 Photo by Dongju Yoon

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Workers also showed a strong intention to maintain their income. When asked if they would be willing to increase their days off if it resulted in decreased income, 70.3% responded "no." Professor Park pointed out, "For delivery workers, income is a more crucial factor in job selection than the right to rest."

If nighttime delivery were to become impossible due to regulations, the greatest concern cited was "difficulty in making a living due to reduced income" (64.9%, multiple responses allowed), followed by "increasing work hours to compensate for lost income" (39.6%, multiple responses allowed). If they could no longer work at night, 53% said they would consider switching to other night jobs in logistics or similar fields rather than daytime delivery. This suggests a tendency among workers to continue working at night to maintain a certain level of income.

Summarizing the research findings, Professor Park analyzed that government restrictions on late-night deliveries (with 85.1% of delivery workers opposed) or regulations limiting total working hours, such as banning seven-day delivery services, could be seen as directly threatening the livelihoods of delivery workers who are highly dependent on their income.

Professor Park stated, "Although nighttime delivery workers report high job satisfaction in positions they have chosen themselves, the imposition of blanket regulations without sufficient input from workers could destabilize their very livelihoods. Since the real difficulties workers face are related to safety and the delivery environment and facilities, which are directly tied to their well-being and income, the government should focus on field-based policy design rather than justification-driven regulation."

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This study was conducted to understand the actual conditions of nighttime delivery workers amid diversified employment types and working environments, and to explore implications for government policy.

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