20-somethings more open to switching jobs, if they can get paid more

This stock image of an office worker is not directly related to this article. (123rf)
This stock image of an office worker is not directly related to this article. (123rf)

Nearly eight out of 10 employees working at Korean companies are not satisfied with their current wages, a survey by a job-search platform showed Thursday.

Only 23 percent of respondents in the Job Korea survey said they were content with their current level of pay, while the rest were unsatisfied. The survey was conducted on 1,088 workers in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Of the 77 percent not content with their salaries, 60 percent said they are open to a new job. Some 43.1 percent of respondents in their 20s said they would switch jobs if they could get higher pay, without any other demands.

When asked the minimum raise required for them to consider getting a new job, respondents in their 20s said it was 11.1 percent. It was lower than the 11.7 percent for those in their 30s and 12.3 percent for those in their 40s.

More than half of all respondents (55 percent) said they are curious about what the other people in the same field of work and tasked with the same duties are being paid.

Recent data and surveys have indicated that local companies are having trouble holding onto their young employees. Last year a Korea Enterprises Federation survey showed that 83.2 percent of workers in their 20s were considering switching jobs, which was more than 72.6 percent of those in their 30s and 58.2 percent of those in their 40s.

The most frequently cited reason for respondents considering a new workplace was their current workplace's financial rewards, which was selected by 61.5 percent of all respondents.

The number of Korean workers in their 20s is lower than ever, according to data revealed Tuesday by corporate data analysis firm Leaders Index. For the first time, the number of workers in their 50s outnumbered those under 30 at major companies here.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com