Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person (ILO) in South Korea
South Korea: Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person (ILO) was 37.29 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person in South Korea, 2005–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, average weekly hours actually worked per employed person in South Korea stood at 37.29. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average weekly hours actually worked per employed person in South Korea peaked at 47.48 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 37.29, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 120th of 188 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person (ILO) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 47.48 | — |
| 2006 | 47.35 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 46.62 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.6 | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 45.42 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 44.66 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 43.41 | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 44.18 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 42.67 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 43.41 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 43.27 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 42.65 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 42.45 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 41.21 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 40.38 | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 38.67 | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 38.53 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 37.92 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 38.5 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 37.29 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 37.29 | +0.0% |
| 2026 | 37.29 | +0.0% |
| 2027 | 37.29 | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 37.29 is above the median for high income countries, which is 34.98, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 37.29 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 40.83, 91% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.49 | 45.42 | 47.48 | 5 |
| 2010s | 42.83 | 40.38 | 44.66 | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.85 | 37.29 | 38.67 | 8 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South Korea
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 16,840 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,824 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.96 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.78 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 97,052 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 65,686 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 62.02 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.9719 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.1065 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average weekly hours actually worked per employed person in South Korea?
- Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person in South Korea was 37.29 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest average weekly hours actually worked per employed person recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 47.48 in 2005.
- What is the lowest average weekly hours actually worked per employed person recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.29 in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for average weekly hours actually worked per employed person?
- South Korea ranks 120th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
- Is average weekly hours actually worked per employed person rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator refers to mean weekly hours actually worked per employed person in their main job. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.