Korea Statistics Office: As of October 2021, the number of food delivery workers in South Korea has risen to 428,000, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%

Data released by the Korea National Statistical Office showed that as of October last year, the number of food delivery workers in South Korea rose to 428,000, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%, the highest since relevant statistics began in 2013. South Korea's Asia Daily reported on the 20th that the number of food delivery workers in South Korea was 349,000 in 2019 and rose to 390,000 in 2020, an increase of 11.8%.

However, in October 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of food delivery workers increased by only 0.7% year-on-year, in stark contrast. The report analyzed that due to the impact of epidemic prevention measures, people's outdoor activities were restricted, and food delivery and online shopping became more active. At the same time, compared with other professions, the threshold for food delivery workers is relatively low, but the average salary is not low, so many people choose to work in this industry.

The report cited data released by the Korea Institute of Labor and Social Research, saying that the average monthly income of Korean deliverymen is 3.557 million won (about 20,000 yuan), which is higher than the average monthly salary of office workers (3.31 million won). Among deliverymen with a monthly income of more than 3 million won, 26.7% of them have a monthly salary of more than 5 million won, which is basically the same as the average monthly salary of large Korean companies (5.29 million won).

Seoul News mentioned that due to the sharp increase in delivery orders, South Korea has recently seen a series of deaths from overwork and traffic accidents involving delivery drivers. The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor revealed that the number of deaths in the country's express delivery industry last year was 18, a nine-fold increase compared to 2017.

From Global Times