By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The number of workers in the minimum wage bracket has increased 2.5 times over the past five years, a report said Friday.
The hike is largely attributable to the increase in temporary workers and the economic slowdown, a lawmaker said.
``The increase in the number of minimum-wage workers is an indication of increased temporary employment and worsening work conditions,'' Rep. Chung Chin-sup of the main opposition Grand National Party said, citing the report from the Ministry of Labor.
The report said the number of minimum-wage workers is expected to reach 2.1 million next year, 2.5 times larger than the 850,000 who worked for that wage in 2003.
The minimum hourly pay rate is 3,480 won, while the daily pay rate is 27,840 won. In 2003, the rates stood at 2,275 won and 18,200 won respectively.
The lawmaker called for a state-run program to support low-paid workers.
Meanwhile, the National Tax Service released data in October showing that concurrently the number of high-income earners has rapidly increased.
The number of people with annual incomes of more than 100 million won has increased by about 9,000 every year over the past six years. A total of 76,645 people were in the 100-million-won income bracket last year, up from 22,368 in 2000.