Real wages fell 1.5 percent on-year in the first half of 2023, the first time for the first six months of the year since 2011.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday, workers earned on average W3.56 million a month from January to June (US$1=W1,322).
Real wages are salaries adjusted for inflation. Although nominal wages increased 2.4 percent on-year, inflation stood at four percent over the same period, so the actual amount of money wage earners have at their disposal shrank.
Permanent workers' wages rose, but temporary workers' dropped.
The average monthly salary of permanent workers went up 2.5 percent to W3.96 million, but the average salary of temporary workers fell 0.2 percent to W1.75 million.
