Korea's non-wage workers rise to 6.63 million as self-employment grows

South Korea's non-wage workers rose by 71,000 from a year earlier to 6.625 million, or 22.7 percent of all 29.151 million employed people, the National Data Office said Tuesday, with the share up 0.1 percentage point.

Owners with employees accounted for 1.481 million of the total, an increase of 47,000, while self-employed people without employees rose by 62,000 to 4.303 million. Unpaid family workers fell by 37,000 to 841,000.

Workers aged 60 and older formed the largest group at 2.719 million, or 41 percent of all non-wage workers. The number in their 30s rose by 55,000 while those in their 40s fell by 35,000. Men rose by 94,000 to 4.165 million and women fell by 23,000 to 2.461 million.

Wholesale and retail trade added 75,000 non-wage workers and professional, scientific and technical services 25,000, while transportation and warehousing and arts and sports each added 20,000. Agriculture, forestry and fishing shed 94,000, accommodation and food services lost 47,000 and manufacturing lost 38,000.

The non-wage workers had operated their businesses or held their positions for an average of 15 years and two months, three months less than a year earlier. Employers gained three months on average, while self-employed workers lost four months and unpaid family workers lost one month.

On social insurance, 83.3 percent of self-employed workers were covered by the National Pension Service, including those entitled to benefits, up 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Among owners with employees, 65.5 percent held industrial accident insurance, up 0.4 percentage points.

Some 76 percent of the businesses or workplaces they operated were registered with tax authorities, up 2.6 percentage points, and they worked an average of 44.1 hours a week, 0.1 hour more than a year earlier.

Most, 86.6 percent, said they planned to keep doing their current work, up 0.1 percentage point, while 13.4 percent planned to expand within the next year. About 5 percent planned to leave, and 2.5 percent said they were unsure.