이주노동자 월급 평균 200만원.. 남성이 여성보다 30만원 더 벌어

Despite the government’s drive to raise minimum wage, foreign workers in Korea are earning slightly less than that on average.
Conditions are even more challenging for female foreing workers, who receive even smaller paychecks.
Lee Min Sun has the full story.
Foreign workers in Korea make less than two thousand U.S. dollars a month, according to a recent survey.
On Friday, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea released the results of survey conducted between April and August this year. About one thousand five hundred migrant workers participated in the survey.
the results showed that foreign workers worked fifty four point four hours on average per week, which is a couple more hours than the legal maximum of 52-hours per week.
With an average monthly salary of about one thousand nine hundred U.S. dollars, those working in the construction sector earned the most, while those in the agricultural and fishery industries earned the least.
The overall average monthly wage stood at one thousand seven hundred seventy dollars, which is some two hundred thirty dollar less than the average monthly income based on the country's minimum wage.
Male and female workers were found to have a similar total of working hours per week, but men were found to receive two hundred sixty five dollars more than their female counterparts.

Foreign workers generally have low income jobs. But they put up with poor labor conditions in order to earn money. As such, some employers prefer hiring foreigners because they wouldn't demand a higher income. "

The survey also found that many of these foreign workers had poor housing conditions. Fifty five percent of the respondents lived in temporary accommodations or living spaces operating within the working place.

The human rights watchdog and related institutes are planning to raise awareness of the situation of foreign workers in Korea, and are putting efforts together to improve their labor conditions in the country.

Lee Min Sun, Arirang News.