Work-from-Home in Korea: Expansion, Persistence, and Inequality
Work-from-Home in Korea: Expansion, Persistence, and Inequality
김세훈(KDI 국제정책대학원); 이창근(한국과학기술연구원); 강지예(KDI 국제정책대학원); 김하은(한국보건사회연구원); 김미경(바른ICT연구소); 문설연(KDI 국제정책대학원); 안혁(KDI 국제정책대학원); 임수민(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development); 정지수(KDI 국제정책대학원)
30권 4호, 89~114쪽
초록
This study documents the evolution of Work-from-Home (WFH) in South Korea using labor force survey data from 2015 to 2024. WFH adoption rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained elevated afterward, especially among middle-aged, highly educated, and high-wage workers. We find that WFH is more common in large firms, unionized workplaces, and digitally intensive sectors, and persists in occupations with routinized cognitive tasks. Using both individual and group-level data, we show that the wage gradient in WFH access—flat before the pandemic—emerged strongly during COVID-19 and remained substantial thereafter. These patterns suggest that WFH has become a lasting feature of Korea’s labor market, but one that may exacerbate inequalities in work conditions.
Abstract
This study documents the evolution of Work-from-Home (WFH) in South Korea using labor force survey data from 2015 to 2024. WFH adoption rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained elevated afterward, especially among middle-aged, highly educated, and high-wage workers. We find that WFH is more common in large firms, unionized workplaces, and digitally intensive sectors, and persists in occupations with routinized cognitive tasks. Using both individual and group-level data, we show that the wage gradient in WFH access—flat before the pandemic—emerged strongly during COVID-19 and remained substantial thereafter. These patterns suggest that WFH has become a lasting feature of Korea’s labor market, but one that may exacerbate inequalities in work conditions.
- 발행기관:
- 국가데이터연구원
- 분류:
- 경제학