1 in 4 aged 70 and above still working in South Korea

SEOUL – About 1.55 million people aged 70 and above were still working as at January 2024, accounting for 24.5 per cent of South Koreans in that age group.

The number of those 70 and older who were working rose by 11.4 per cent from the 1.39 million the year before, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service (Kosis) operated by Statistics Korea.

The group made up 5.6 per cent of the overall working population of the country in 2024, up from 5.1 per cent in January 2023.

About 750,600, or roughly half of those who still work beyond the age of 70, were at least 75.

This meant that 18.8 per cent in the 75-and-above group were still employed.

The statistics showed that some 30 per cent of workers aged 70 and above were in the agriculture, fishing and forestry industries.

The next most common fields were social affairs and the services industry, with 22.8 per cent.

Some 42.1 per cent were what the Ministry of Labour defines as “simple labourers”, referring to non-specialists whose jobs require only a few hours of training.

Of the 70-and-above workers, 29.6 per cent were specialists in the agriculture, fisheries and farming sectors.

In the light of South Korea’s rapidly ageing society, an increasing number of older people have been incorporated into the workforce.

A recent statistic by Kosis showed that 20.1 per cent of people who sought new jobs through the state-run Work-Net portal in 2023 were 60 and above.

In a May 2023 survey by Statistics Korea, 55.7 per cent of respondents aged 65 to 79 said they wished to continue working.

About half – 52.2 per cent – of the respondents who expressed their wish to continue working said they “need the money for living”, while 38 per cent said they do it “because they enjoy working, as long as their health allows it”. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK