Average Monthly Salary of Minor Companies 1.08 Million Won

Salary of labors in small firms is surveyed to be half as much as that of labors in large companies.

According to the Ministry of Labor on the 28th, when it surveyed 31,350 labors in 14,000 companies with less than 4 labors, their monthly total wages were 1.081 million won, which is sum total of average monthly salary (fixed wages + extra wages) 1.013 million won and annual bonus 8,210,000 won.

This is 61.7 percent of monthly total wage of a labor in the company with over 5 labors (1.752 million won), and 50.5 percent of that in the company with 300 to 499 labors (2.135 million won).

The ratio by wages of labors in small companies is △0.7 percent for less than 400,000won, △5.6 percent for 400,000 to 590,000 won, △21.5 percent for 600,000 to 790,000 won, and △23.7 percent for 800,000 to 990,000 won, 51.5 percent of them all not reaching 1 million won, and only 5.6 percent for over 2 million won, big company level.

On the contrary, average weekly working hour of small companies (50.3 hours) is 3.7 hours more than that of the companies with 300 to 499 labors (46.6 hours), and 4.4 hours more than that of the companies with over 500 labors.

Average longevity of small company labors is 2.9 years, which is half-length of total companies’ average (5.6 years). Hence, small companies are having troubles from frequent quitting, and their average age of labors (35.6) is lower than total companies’ 36.2.

An official of the Ministry of Labor said, “bonus of the companies with less than 4 labors is only 19.4 percent of that of companies with over 5 labors. Especially female labors, whose wages are 70.2 percent of male labors’ have difficulties with small wages.”

Jin Lee leej@donga.com