Survival Analysis on the Labor Mobility of Irregular Workers by Employment Types in Korea

On the issue of irregular workers in Korea, its scale shows sizable variance and empirical results are not consistent as researchers use different definitions of irregular workers and data. Further, previous studies took blanket approach without classifying irregular workers by employment types and failed to present heterogeneity among them. Using two years of Panel Data of irregular workers, this study analyzes 1) whether labor mobility of irregular workers is a trap or a stepping stone; and 2) which explanatory variables bring impacts on the mobility. Findings show that durable trapping hypothesis is supported. Compared with fixed-term workers, the transition rate of other irregular workers was lower and women, the aged, the low-educated, workers with shorter tenure, unionized workplaces significantly show less transition rate to regular workers.