Women work 3.6 years in same firm

By Lee Hyo-sik

Female employees here work at a company for 3.6 years on average without quitting or changing job, nearly half the period of an average male worker, the labor ministry said Sunday.

Korean females worked in the same job for an average of 3.6 years in 2010, shorter than 6.2 years for their male counterparts, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The ministry said many women in their late 20s and early 30s tend to quit their job after marriage and childbirth. When women return to the job market years later, many are hired in low-paying positions on a temporary basis, making it more difficult for female employees to continue at the same job.

Under a law revised in August 2007, employers are required to turn non-permanent workers into regular ones after two years, prompting employers to lay off temporary staff as companies find it costly to upgrade their status.

Permanent female employees stayed in the same workplace for an average of 4.5 years, with only 1.4 years for non-regular ones. An average full-time male employee worked the same job for 7.2 years but non-regular ones held the same job for 1.5 years.

The ministry also said an average female employee earned 64.5 percent of what an average male worker made in 2010, up slightly from 63.9 percent in 2006. Female workers stayed in the office for an average of 182 hours a month, 9 hours and 30 minutes shorter than 191 hours and 30 minutes for their male counterparts.

Full-time male employees accounted for 72.9 percent of the total male workforce last year, up from 67.8 percent in 2004. About 58.2 percent of the female workers were employed on a permanent basis in 2010, up from 56 percent six years ago.

여성 근로자 근속연수 남성의 절반

한국 여성 근로자의 평균 근속연수는 남성의 절반 수준에 불과한 것으로 잠정 집계됐다고 고용노동부가 24일 밝혔다.

고용노동부에 따르면 한국 여성 근로자의 평균 근속연수는 3.6년으로 남성 6.2년의 절반 수준에 불과하다.

고용노동부는 20대 후반에서 30대 초반까지의 여성들이 결혼과 출산 후 직장을 그만두고 있다고 설명했다. 여성들이 몇 년 후 고용시장에 돌아오더라도 많은 여성들은 임시직으로 낮은 임금을 받는 자리에 고용이 되어 갈은 직종에 종사하는 것을 더 어렵게 하고 있다.

2007년 8월 개정된 노동법은 임시직 사원이 2년을 근무하면 정규직이 되도록 하고 있어 고용주들이 이들의 임금이 높아지기 때문에 임시직을 해고 하고 있다.