Municipal administrations rush to offer incentive programs to retain young employees

By Anna J. Park

Low wages, rigid work culture and ineffective systems in Korea’s public service sector are driving away young public servants, encompassing millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2012 — leading an increasing number of them to ditch their jobs.

While job security and a stable pension system were once considered the public service’s greatest advantages, this appeal has diminished for younger generations, as low pay and a rigid organizational culture fail to meet their expectations.

It’s now common to see YouTube videos or blog posts where former young civil servants share their reasons for leaving the job and pursuing new careers.

Numbers back this trend.

According to the Government Employees Pension Service, 28,934 civil servants with less than five years of service resigned between 2018 and 2022.

In 2022 alone, 13,032 public officials left their jobs, which is a whopping 72.6 percent jump from 7,548 in 2019. Among these, 3,020 civil servants resigned within just a year of their job assignment.

A report by the National Assembly Research Service published earlier this year also showed that the proportion of newly appointed civil servants among those resigning increased to 23 percent in 2023 from 17 percent in 2019. The report identified key factors behind these resignations: low wages, concerns over pension stability and the mismatch between the values of the younger generations and the rigid culture of public service.

The declining appeal of public service is also evident in recruitment.

The competition rate for the grade 9 national civil service exam this year dropped to 21.8 to 1, the lowest since 1992. For the grade 7 exam, a more advanced national civil servant test than the grade 9, the rate also fell to 40.6 to 1 this year, from 76.7 to 1 in 2016.

Participants stage a protest performance at a demonstration organized by the Korean Government Employees’ Union in front of the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, Aug. 6, demanding better wages for young public officials. Korea Times file

In an effort to retain young public officials who are leaving their posts, the country’s public servant salary committee, which negotiates with the Korean Government Employees’ Union, recommended a wage increase of 2.5 percent to 3.3 percent for 2025. The government ultimately settled on a 3 percent raise.

While this figure may seem modest, it is actually not only significantly higher than the 1.7 percent increase in the minimum wage for the next year but also marks the highest wage increase rate for public officials since 2017.

In the past four years, wage increases for public officials have remained at low levels: 0.9 percent in 2021, 1.4 percent in 2022, 1.7 percent in 2023 and 2.5 percent in 2024. As annual inflation rates during the period stood at 2.5 percent in 2021, 5.1 percent in 2022 and 3.6 percent in 2023, public officials’ real wages, adjusted for inflation, have declined consistently.

Besides the wage issue, improving the outdated organizational culture is just as crucial. Recognizing the importance of retaining young workers in the public sector, the government formed a committee in late October composed of 100 young public officials from across the country, aiming to develop measures to transform the rigid work culture within public service.

The committee members came up with 10 key recommendations for organizational culture reforms gathered through discussions. The 10 recommendations include: 1) no forced overtime work; 2) systemic handovers; 3) refraining from unnecessary contact outside of working hours; 4) considerate and respectful communication; 5) task allocation based on rank and experience; 6) listening to lower-level employees’ opinions in decision-making; 7) prohibiting the delegation of undesirable tasks to young officials; 8) avoiding discouragement when submitting vacation plans; 9) adjusting existing tasks when new responsibilities are added; and 10) strengthening practical training during probation periods.

“The government is committed to continuously engaging with young officials and supporting their smooth adaptation and integration into the public service,” said Ko Ki-dong, vice minister of the interior and safety.

Computer-generated 3D title / Courtesy of iKinoto

Some local governments have introduced new employment benefit programs, such as long-term service leave for junior public officials, to boost the morale of young public servants.

Daegu Metropolitan City introduced a long-term service leave system for junior public officials, aiming to prevent the departure of civil servants of the young generation. The system, which was previously only available to officials with over 10 years of service, is now available to public servants with five to 10 years of experience.

In addition, the city is working on creating an environment that promotes flexible use of annual leave and parental leave, as well as fostering a lunch-focused company meal culture.

Yongin in Gyeonggi Province also introduced a special leave for newcomers. According to the city’s recently revised ordinance, civil servants with at least one to less than five years of service will now be granted three days of newcomer leave, which was not previously available.

A city official stated that such incentive programs designed for junior public servants are expected to help retain young public officials.