The percentage of self-employed people among employed persons this year falls below 20% for the first time in South Korea

In South Korea, the percentage of self-employed people among all employed people has fallen below 20 percent for the first time since related statistics began being collected in 1963.
According to the Korea National Statistical Office, the number of self-employed people this year was 5.636 million, down from 28.544 million for the total employed.
This figure is the monthly average from January to August this year, and there are still four months left, but unless there are major changes in the labor market, it is almost certain that the annual rate will fall below 20%.
The proportion of self-employed persons has been on a downward trend since 1963, when it was 37.2%, and by 1989 it had fallen below 30% (28.8%).
In addition, the number of "non-wage workers," including the self-employed and unpaid family workers, was 6.518 million.
This was 22.8% of employed persons. Unpaid family workers are family members or relatives who help self-employed people with their business without receiving a wage.
The proportion of "non-wage earners" has fallen from 68.5% in 1963 to 22.8% this year, while "
The percentage of "wage earners" has increased significantly from 31.5% in 1963 to 77.2% this year. However, according to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), the percentage of non-wage earners in Korea is 23.
At 2% (5th out of 30 member countries), this percentage is still on the high side.