P1 suh young-kyung

Current Status

of Female Employment in Korea

and Policy Tasks

Suh, Young KyungDeputy Governor

2014. 5

I. Current status of female employment in Korea

Contents

II. Problems related to female employment

III. Policy tasks

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I. Current status of female employment in Korea

▶ The employment rate of women in Korea has risen steadily….

Employment Rates by Gender in Korea1)

Note : 1) 2013 basis, including age over 65Source: Statistics Korea

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II. Problems related to female employment

① Low participation of women in economic activities

Female Employment Rates1)

►Employment rate (%) Total Men Women

▪ Korea 64.2 74.9 53.5

▪ OECD 65.1 73.2 57.2

Note : 1) 2012 basis Source: OECD

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II. Problems related to female employment

② Concentration in the low-paying service industries

Shares of Employees by Type of Work1)2)

Notes: 1) Experts in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, skilled and assembly workers, etc. 2) 2013 basis, including age over 65 Source: Statistics Korea``

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II. Problems related to female employment

③ Employment conditions for women are inferior to those for men.

Shares of the Employed by Employment Condition1)

Notes: 1) 2013 basis, including age over 65Source: Statistics Korea

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II. Problems related to female employment

Gender Income Gap1)

Notes: 1) 2011 basis(France, Switzerland, Italy: 2010 basis)Source: OECD

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II. Problems related to female employment

④ Serious career disruptions due to household chores and child care

Economically Inactive Female Population1)2)

Notes: 1) 2013 basis, including age over 65 2) Figures in ( ) indicate the proportionsSource: Statistics Korea

￭ Economically inactive female popula-

tion

1,071 (100.0)

- Household chores 584 (54.5)

- Childcare 146 (13.7)

- Formal education 192 (18.0)

- Preparation for employment 27 (2.5)

- Break 27 (2.5)

(ten thousand, %)

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II. Problems related to female employment

Female Employment Rates by Age1)

Notes: 1) 2012 basis Source: OECD

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III. Policy tasks : “More women workers, Higher economic growth”

▶ Increase female employment from both the quantitative

and the qualitative perspectives.

■ Rapid population aging → it is vital to increase the economic

participation of women to sustain the growth momentum.

■ It is also necessary to increase their utilization to enhance

the productivity of the Korean economy.

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III. Policy tasks

▶ In order to encourage more women to engage in economic

activities…

■ Increasing the number of decent temporary jobs, and improving

their working conditions.

■ Diversifying the childcare system and strengthening related

facilities.

■ Increasing the number of women in high-ranking positions.

Thank you