[Anchor]

Workers who are paid based on the number of tasks performed, such as delivery riders and private tutors, have historically struggled to receive the protection of the minimum wage. As a government-commissioned research report has concluded that the minimum wage can be applied to these workers, attention is now focused on whether this will lead to institutional changes.

Reporter Jeon Hyeong-u has the story.

[Reporter]

This is a report submitted to this year's Minimum Wage Commission, based on research commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to the Korea Labor & Society Institute.

The report contains findings from a study on whether it is possible to apply the minimum wage to contract-based workers, including those in special employment types and platform workers who are not recognized as employees under the Labor Standards Act.

The study surveyed approximately 1,400 individuals across six occupations—delivery riders, parcel delivery drivers, designated drivers, private tutors, care and domestic workers, and home appliance installation technicians—and conducted interviews with 23 of them.

Among the respondents, 64 percent stated that they earn less than the legal minimum wage.

[Kim Mi-rye/Private Tutor: Even if I work outside for about 12 hours, my monthly income is around 1.4 million won. (When calculated), the hourly wage comes out to 6,850 won.]

Furthermore, 93 percent of respondents reported that their compensation is unilaterally determined by companies or platforms, and 74 percent indicated that they receive work instructions from them.

In particular, for private tutors and home appliance installation technicians, the level of subordination to the employer was found to be even higher than that of typical office employees, with companies controlling their work locations and hours.

Delivery riders, parcel delivery drivers, and designated drivers have more flexibility in choosing their working hours, but they must strictly follow the companies' work rules and are prohibited from having others perform their tasks, showing a significant degree of subordination.

[Jung Heung-jun/Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Participated in the study): We judged that methods such as the Safe Rates System used in similar (freight) transport sectors, where wages are determined annually, could be adopted. We concluded that a minimum compensation system could be applied.]

The report concluded that an hourly minimum wage could be applied to private tutors and home appliance installation technicians, while a minimum compensation per task could be introduced for the remaining occupations, including delivery riders, parcel delivery drivers, and designated drivers.

(Video reporting: Kang Dong-cheol, Kim Hyun-sang | Video editing: Park Na-young)