Korea's older adults work longest hours among OECD members

Kim Eun-hui, 57, took voluntary retirement earlier this year after her company offered an early exit package. Now, she's searching for part-time work close to home. "If I had declined that offer, they would have fired me anyway," she said to The Korea Times. "I tried to find another stable job, but given my age, it wasn't easy." Kim estimates she'll need to work for at least five more years — until her two sons graduate from college and find jobs. When asked how confident she felt about that timeline, she hesitated. "I didn’t realize how harsh the employment reality is," she said. "I now understand why so many people, even those without experience, end up starting their own small businesses." Her story reflects a broader trend in Korea, which has the highest rate of older adult employment among developed nations. In 2023, 37.3 percent of Koreans aged 65 and older were still working — well above the OECD average of 13.6 percent and even surpassing Japan's 25.3 percent, despite its earlier transition into a super-aged society. The average older adult wants to keep working until age 73Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times