Gig workers rise by 2.3m in 5 years, especially among younger, older workers

The number of gig workers -- including platform workers, freelancers and independent contractors -- surged by over 2.3 million in the last five years, with the highest increases seen among younger and older people, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

According to Rep. Choi Ki-sang of the Democratic Party of Korea, citing data from the National Tax Service, the number of gig workers increased from 6 million in 2018 to 8.3 million in 2022, marking a rise of 2.33 million -- a jump of 38.6 percent.

Gig workers are defined as "non-wage workers" in the report, referring to workers who provide services in an independent capacity and receive compensation based on the performance of the work rather than full- or part-time employment. This category includes independent contractors, on-demand and temporary workers such as designated drivers, delivery workers and golf caddies, among others.

By age group, the increase was most pronounced among those 60 or older and those under 30. The number of gig workers aged 60 or over jumped from 699,098 in 2018 to 1.3 million in 2022, an 86.6 percent increase. Workers under 30 also saw a significant rise in gig work, growing from 1.41 million in 2018 to 2.03 million in 2022, a 43.8 percent increase.

The average annual income for gig workers in 2022 was 11.14 million won, significantly lower than the 21 million won annual salary based on minimum wage. Younger workers under 30 earned an average of 7.22 million won, while those 60 or over earned 9.52 million won.

Rep. Choi said, “The number of non-wage workers has been rapidly increasing, especially among young people and seniors. To protect these vulnerable workers, who often fall outside the scope of labor laws, the government should develop accurate statistics and implement appropriate measures to safeguard their labor rights.”