Seoul, Oct 22 (IANS): South Korea saw higher irregular workers amid lower regular employees, statistical office data showed on Tuesday.

The number of irregular workers was 8,459,000 in August 2024, up 337,000 compared with the same month of last year, according to Statistics Korea.

The reading for regular employees reduced 147,000 to 13,685,000 in the cited month, marking the first decrease in three years.

The proportion of irregular employees to the total wage and salary workers advanced 1.2 percentage points to 38.2 per cent, recording the second-highest since relevant data began to be compiled in 2003, Xinhua news agency reported.

Irregular workers expanded in the eatery and lodging business, the health, social welfare, manufacturing, science and technology sector and the wholesale and retail industries, while regular employees declined in manufacturing, construction, and the wholesale and retail sectors.

By age, the number of irregular workers aged 60 and older surged 193,000 to 2,812,000 in August on a yearly basis.

The number of irregular employees in their 30s and 50s reached 84,000 and 34,000 each, while the figure for those aged 29 and younger touched 27,000.