Korea gets older workforce, more couples sticking it out
The number of workers aged 55 or older surpassed the 4 million mark in 2006 for the first time, with one out of 5.6 in the South Korean labor force a so-called "silver worker." Workers 55 and over numbered about 4.03 million last year, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on January 28. This figure accounts for 17.4 percent out of the entire workforce, up from 15.4 percent in 2001. These silver workers increased by 20.9 percent, or by 698,000 workers, from the 3,327,000 workers in this age group in 2001. In comparison, the increase seen in this age demographic is nearly three times the increase in the total number of workers over the same period. Such an increase in the number of older workers is due to a population increase in this age group and a social tendency for old people to want to continue working.The number of divorce cases in 2005 was roughly 128,000, the lowest since the 119,000 cases recorded in 2000. This year’s figure represents a two-year downward curve from the record 167,000 divorces in 2003. In contrast, the number of remarriage cases was 46,000 in 2005, an increase by 14,000, or 44 percent, from the 32,000 registered in 2000. To explain this decline in divorce rates, experts point to the possible influence of a government pilot program introduced in March 2005. Under the program, a couple applying for divorce by mutual consent must wait several months before being granted the divorce, the idea being to reduce the number of hasty divorces. A law making this pilot program permanent has been submitted to the National Assembly.
