South Korea’s share of high-income workers has climbed to a record level, but the gains are increasingly concentrated in manufacturing and technology, underscoring widening wage disparities in an economy being reshaped by semiconductors and rapid population aging.
Data from Statistics Korea showed that 3.71 million salaried workers, or 16.5% of the country’s 22.49 million wage earners, made more than $3,250 a month in the second half of 2025, the highest proportion since the government began compiling the data in 2013.
The number of workers in the top income bracket rose by nearly 300,000 from a year earlier, reflecting a combination of rising wages and inflation. Yet the data also highlighted stark differences in how those gains are distributed across industries.
Manufacturing, one of South Korea’s largest employment sectors and a key driver of the country’s export-led economy, accounted for a disproportionate share of high-income jobs. Nearly one in four manufacturing workers earned more than $3,250 a month, with 24% falling into the highest wage category.
By contrast, only 5.4% of workers in health and social welfare earned more than $3,250 a month, despite the sector emerging as one of the country’s biggest sources of job creation.
More than three-quarters of workers in health and social welfare earned less than $1,950 a month, according to the data.
The contrast reflects a broader shift taking place in South Korea’s labor market. While the country’s aging population is creating strong demand for caregivers, nursing aides and social-service workers, many of those jobs remain relatively low-paying.
At the same time, wages in export-oriented manufacturing have been buoyed by a recovery in the semiconductor industry and expanding performance-based bonuses.
Analysts say the rebound in South Korea’s chip sector, led by companies such as Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory-chip maker, and SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory-chip manufacturer, could widen income disparities further as compensation in advanced manufacturing continues to outpace other sectors.
High-paying jobs were also heavily concentrated in finance and insurance, where 38% of workers earned more than $3,250 a month, as well as in professional, scientific and technical services and the information technology sector.
Accommodation and food services remained at the opposite end of the spectrum. Only 1.4% of workers in the industry earned more than $3,250 a month, the lowest share among all major sectors.
Economists warn that the growing gap between high-tech manufacturing and labor-intensive service industries could become an increasingly important challenge for South Korea as the country attempts to balance industrial competitiveness with the rising social costs of an aging society.
