In Korea, 4 out of 10 foreign workers were found to receive monthly wages of 3 million won or more. In their working lives, 7 out of 10 were satisfied.
According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) and the Ministry of Justice, which released on the 10th the results of the 2025 immigrant residence status and employment survey, the material "Life in Korea by foreigners by residence status," as of May last year there were 1,692,000 foreign residents in Korea aged 15 or older, up 8.4% from the previous year.
Among foreign residents in Korea, 57.9% were men and 42.1% were women. By age group: ages 15–29 (30.9%), 30s (27.5%), 40s (15.7%), 60 and older (13.3%), and 50s (12.6%).
By residence status: overseas Koreans (410,000), non-professional employment (321,000), international students (236,000), permanent residents (163,000), marriage migrants (128,000), professionals (82,000), and visiting employment (73,000).
By nationality among foreign residents in Korea: ethnic Koreans from China (29.9%), Vietnam (16.0%), and China (8.1%).
Among foreigners, 65.5% were employed. By industry: mining and manufacturing (44.9%), wholesale and retail, accommodation and food service (20.4%), business, personal and public services (13.4%), and construction (9.6%).
Among foreign wage workers, the average monthly wage level of "2 million–3 million won" accounted for more than half at 50.2%. "3 million won or more" was 36.9%. "1 million–2 million won" was 9.0%, and "under 1 million won" was 3.8%.
For employed foreigners, weekly working hours were highest at "40 to under 50 hours" with 58.1%, followed by "50 to under 60 hours" (17.8%) and "60 hours or more" (8.7%).
A survey of job satisfaction among foreign wage workers found that "satisfied" responses were 68.7%, "average" 28.7%, and "dissatisfied" 2.5%. Satisfaction with wages and compensation was 60.5%, and satisfaction with working hours was 62.4%.
Among foreigners, 57.5% live in the greater Seoul area. The share living in the capital region is high among visiting employment (81%), permanent residents (77.5%), and overseas Koreans (76.7%). For international students, the share living in Seoul (28.1%) is the highest, while for other residence statuses the share living in Gyeonggi is the highest.
For foreigners' dwellings: general houses (58.5%), apartments (20.0%), and dormitories (13.2%). By tenure type, jeon- or monthly rent (59.3%) is most common, followed by free of charge (26.6%) and own home (14.1%). The share of free-of-charge housing is high among non-professional employment (76.7%).