By Kim Sung-jin
Staff Reporter


The role of females in the local employment market is growing bigger and bigger. Women now own more than one-fifth of domestic businesses with one or more employers.

According to a tally released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) Monday, the number of female employers amounted to 353,000 at the end of last September, up 8 percent from 327,000 of the corresponding period of a year earlier.

Female employers accounted for 20.7 percent of the total number of employers, up from 18.2 percent in September 2003 and 19.2 percent in September 2004, reflecting the greater role and share of the female population in Korea’s economic activities.

The number of female employers mushroomed by 46,000 in just two years, or 80,000 in five years.

On the other hand, the number of male employers totaled 1.35 million in September, down 1.7 percent from 1.37 million a year ago.

Meanwhile, females occupied 35 percent of professional, technical and administrative occupations at the end of September. Out of 4.84 million professional, technical and administrative jobs, females accounted for 1.71 million, up 6.8 percent from 1.6 million a year ago.

Males made up 3.13 million of the three types of high-paid occupations, up 2.4 percent from 3.06 million.

The NSO expects women’s participation in economic activities to increase further in the future due to Korea’s low birth rate and the rapidly aging society.

sjkim@koreatimes.co.kr