8 in 10 workers say discrimination between permanent and contract staff is real

Eight in 10 workers in South Korea say inequality and discrimination between permanent employees and fixed-term contract workers are a serious problem, according to a new survey.

Workplace Harassment 119, a civic labor advocacy group, said Sunday that a poll it commissioned from research firm Global Research found 80.4 percent of respondents said discrimination between fixed-term and permanent workers exists. The survey was conducted from June 1 to 7 among 1,000 workers aged 19 and older nationwide.

By employment type, temporary workers reported the highest rate of perceived discrimination at 84.6 percent. By age group, respondents in their 50s recorded the highest rate at 86.5 percent. The figures rose steadily with age — 72.1 percent among those in their 20s, 78.2 percent among those in their 30s and 79.8 percent among those in their 40s — suggesting workers grow more aware of the gap as they accumulate career experience.

Skepticism also ran high over the effectiveness of the government's "fair allowance" scheme, which aims to narrow the wage gap. When asked whether the measure could resolve wage discrimination, nearly half of respondents — 48.4 percent — said it could not.

The survey also revealed that fixed-term workers are routinely blocked from exercising basic legal rights. When asked whether contract workers can freely use legally guaranteed rights such as maternity leave, parental leave and workplace harassment reporting, 65.6 percent said they cannot. On whether freedom to form or join a labor union is guaranteed, 64.2 percent responded negatively — meaning roughly two in three workers said they are effectively barred from exercising fundamental statutory rights.

The negative assessments were even more pronounced among female workers, those in precarious employment, workers at small businesses, low-wage earners, non-union members and older workers.

Reports submitted directly to the group painted a similar picture of abuse enabled by job insecurity. Representative cases included a manager threatening a fixed-term worker with remarks denigrating their appearance and educational background — saying "Do you want to be on a contract forever? I won't renew you" — as well as employers refusing to approve maternity leave applications and failing to provide workers with copies of their employment contracts.

"Discrimination against fixed-term workers is not simply a matter of wage gaps — it is a structural problem that makes it difficult for workers to assert their rights," Workplace Harassment 119 said, calling for the immediate repeal of the Special Act on the Designation and Management of Mega Special Zones, which would extend the maximum employment period for fixed-term workers from the current two years to four years.