By Kim Young-jin
Staff reporter
The government has stepped up its efforts to inform teenagers about their rights as workers at a time when relevant labor standards are often violated by employers, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday.
Interest in part-time jobs is soaring among teens, according to a report commissioned by the ministry. The survey of 3,202 teenagers aged 15 through 18 showed that 90.8 percent showed interest in taking a part-time job if the right opportunity came along.
But teens on the job hunt would be wise to know their rights before taking up employment, the ministry said.
“The report identified that in many workplaces, labor standards were not observed, including minimum wage and respecting working hours for teens,” a ministry spokesperson said.
Some 79 percent of those surveyed admitted knowing little about the laws and regulations pertaining to them as workers.
Among those with work experience, 1.2 percent reported experiencing sexual assault or harassment at the workplace. Among them, only two reported the incident to the police or a labor association.
Regarding workplace safety, only 57 percent of those injured on the job claimed for their injury, while 30 percent were compensated. Two percent were either fired or quit due to being hurt.
Only 14.5 percent knew those under 15 years old must obtain a special certificate to be hired, and less than half knew about regulations related to night and weekend shifts.
The statistics have prompted the ministry to bolster its educational outreach program for youth, dubbed “alja, alja.”
“The results of the survey have been reflected in the promotion plan for the alja alja campaign,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the report showed that some 90 percent of vocational high schools provide career educational training. Around 86 percent of those surveyed said they were offered career education resources at their school at least once a year.
Some 80 percent of the teens sought part-time jobs to save money, while 7 percent wanted to gain work experience. Four percent reported working to supplement their parents’ income.
The most frequently held jobs were posting advertisement flyers (46 percent), fast food services (9.8 percent) and positions at cyber cafes or comic book rental stores (8.9 percent).