By Lee Kyung-min

A growing number of young public servants are quitting their jobs, a rush brought on and fanned by discontent over their remuneration packages falling far short of their peers in the private sector, according to market watchers, Tuesday.

The once much sought-after positions due to their high job security are losing their appeal, due in large part to the seniority-based pay structure that doesn't reflect a person's performance. Many young, ambitious workers say their efforts to create meaningful change are more often than not sidelined and met by cynicism, prevalent in state-run organizations where competition and change are not in any way encouraged or appreciated.

Further accelerating the collective rush is their dismal annual wage increase of around just 1 percent, a figure far below the current inflation rate of over 6 percent and completely unacceptable for many entry-level public servants whose monthly pay is already lower than minimum wage.

The Korean Government Employees' Union and the Federation of Public Officials Unions, Korea's two largest unions representing the interests of public servants, said they will continue to hold rallies until their demands for the 7 percent wage increase are met.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety had offered a rate of between 1.7 percent and 2.9 percent but the figure was set at 1.7 percent for low-level public servants, Aug. 30. The rate froze for middle to senior-level figures. Ministers and vice ministers will have their pay cut by 10 percent.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the lower-than-expected income should be tolerated by the country's public servants, as part of austerity measures put in place by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration seeking to bolster fiscal soundness.

Data from the two unions showed the number of public servants with work experience of five years or less exceeded 10,000, last year, doubling from four years earlier. The competition rate for the lowest public servant positions came to 29:1, a significant drop from 100:1 three decades ago.

Less than minimum wage

"My monthly pay is less than that of minimum wage workers. Can you believe it? Because I can't," said a man surnamed Jeong, 29, an entry-level public servant working at a state-run organization outside of the Seoul region.

He earns 2.36 million won ($1,752) a month, but the figure is before tax and other dues.

What he actually receives in his bank account is 1.59 million won. The 770,000 won that comes out of his monthly pay includes premiums for the state-run healthcare service and the national pension, as well as union membership fees.

"I thought the public service was not that bad a choice, given its job security and pension after retirement. I knew the pay would be low from the beginning, but not this low."

For context, this year's minimum hourly wage of 9,160 won translates to about 1.91 million won in monthly pay.

"Korea is registering an inflation rate of over 6 percent and the minimum wage next year will be raised 5 percent from this year. How am I to do with a 1 percent-range wage increase? I don't know. I'm thinking about leaving."

A group of unionized government employees at Seoul Metropolitan Government said their dues usually account for about 20 to 30 percent of their monthly income.

"There is a general perception that public servants receive a generous remuneration package but that is just not true, especially for low-level workers."

They said they will continue to fight until their wage increase is adjusted to an acceptable level.

"A groundswell of frustration will build in the coming months," they said in a statement. "The government's push for the 1-percent range figures will only strengthen our motivation."

Discontent

According to a March survey by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, of public servants, from Generation MZ, or working-aged people born in the 1990s and later, found that over 44 percent said they wanted to find a different job.

The state-run research institute said young employed people are not particularly incentivized by high job security until retirement age and pensions, key factors in making career choices for older workers.

"The once-generous pension package has been largely curtailed over the past few years, and will continue to decline in the years to come, an inevitable course of action due to the ultra-low birthrate amid a fast-aging society," the institute said.

The public service entails having to deal with in-person complaints, often followed by verbal and emotional abuse by complainants.

This is not taken well by young underpaid workers already frustrated with heavy workloads and no prospect of an increase in their pay or other benefits.

"An increasing number of young people seem to think that they can do better than being stuck in a dead-end public service job," said Lee In-ho, former chairman of the Korean Economic Association.

"Whether they find a new job before leaving is a secondary concern, if they think they are not paid enough to accept where they are."