SEOUL, October 27 (AJP) —More than half of South Korean wage earners earned at least 3 million won ($2,260) a month in the first half of 2026, while the share earning at least 5 million won reached a record high for the period, government data showed Tuesday.
Of the country’s 22.37 million wage workers as of April, 51.9 percent earned 3 million won or more per month, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
Workers earning between 3 million won and 4 million won accounted for 22.8 percent of the total, while those earning between 4 million won and 5 million won made up 11.5 percent.
Another 17.6 percent earned at least 5 million won a month, up 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier and the highest first-half share since the data series began in 2013.
The figures reflect average monthly earnings from workers’ main jobs over the preceding three months, including bonuses and payments in kind.
The share earning at least 5 million won was highest in finance and insurance at 40.5 percent, followed by professional, scientific and technical services at 37.5 percent and information and communications at 35.8 percent.
In manufacturing, the proportion rose to 25.4 percent from 22.9 percent a year earlier. In health and social welfare services, just 5.8 percent earned at least 5 million won.
The figures highlight a divide between industries where higher pay is concentrated and those generating the most new jobs.
Employment at nonresidential welfare facilities, including community welfare and home care services, increased by 155,000 from a year earlier to 1.84 million. Their share of total employment reached 6.4 percent for the first time.
Hospitals added 64,000 workers and clinics 26,000 as population aging continued to drive demand for health and welfare services.
By contrast, employment in crop farming fell by 82,000, while architectural and engineering services lost 62,000 workers and general retail employment declined by 31,000.
Among workers aged 15 to 29, employment increased by 9,000 each at hospitals and higher education institutions, while general retail jobs fell by 18,000.
For workers aged 50 and older, nonresidential welfare facilities posted the largest increase, adding 141,000 jobs from a year earlier.
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