Workers at automakers earn most

By Park Jin-hai

Employees of carmakers were found to have the highest salaries among listed companies, said market research firm Chebul.com on Sunday.

It said that workers at local automobile companies earned an average annual salary of 82 million won last year, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier.

They have topped the list for three years in a row.

Meanwhile, the employees of traditional service industries including the entertainment, retail and travel industries posted the lowest salaries.

Employees for the petrochemical industry had the second largest paychecks. Their average annual salary peaked in 2013, reaching 84.5 million, but dropped to 79 million last year.

Analysts at brokerage houses and bankers took third and fourth place. Analysts received an average 74 million, up 0.4 percent, while bankers pocketed 73.4 million won, up 0.2 percent.

Workers of shipbuilders took next place by earning 73.3 million, followed by the gas industry that paid 71 million won.

However, the annual paycheck for the traditional service industries including education, textile, retail, furniture and entertainment remained below half of the top four industry wage earners, at just over 30 million won.

Travel industry workers came last of a total of 40 industries, although their salary edged up 4.1 percent, receiving 33.2 million won.

Entertainment, furniture, department stores, textile and retail industry workers all posted the lowest level paychecks, ranging from 33.7 million to 37.2 million won.

Regarding annual salary increases, the education and shipping industries together posted the largest growth at 9 percent. In contrast, workers for five industries among the 40 in the list have seen their paycheck reduced.

Chemical companies had the biggest cut with 4.3 percent less in salary over the year.

Workers of environmental, aerospace, gas and petro industries have also seen their salary drop over the last year.