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About four out of 10 surveyed workers in Korea experienced delay in wage payments, a survey showed, Sunday.
According to a survey of 1,000 Korean workers, conducted from Aug. 1 to 6 by Embrain Public, 43.7 percent of the respondents said they have experienced overdue wage issues.
The survey was carried out upon the request of a pro-labor civic group Gabjil 119 and the Beautiful Foundation.
The most common overdue wage cases by frequency were basic pay at 30.2 percent, followed by overtime wages at 27.8 percent, extra allowances at 24.5 percent and annual vacation allowances at 23.2 percent.
Temporary employees were more vulnerable to delays in wage payments, as 34.8 percent of respondents in non-regular employment said they have experienced such delays, which was higher than 27.2 percent of regular employees.
By occupation, overdue wages were more common within the manufacturing industry compared to the white-collar jobs, as 37.7 percent and 40.2 percent of workers in the former group have received delayed basic and overtime wages, respectively. The figures were higher than office workers’ 26.4 percent and 23.6 percent for each.
Meanwhile, only around six out of 10 of those experiencing delay demanded due payments to their employers, while a mere 24.3 percent filed complaints to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and related organizations.
Instead, 22.4 percent of the respondents who experienced overdue payments said they quit their jobs, while 19 percent did nothing. Most of these people (43.5 percent) said they abandoned the delayed wage because “they believe they won’t receive payment even if they pursue the matter.”
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