No. of daily construction workers in their 20s surges amid tight job market

Amid worsening job situation, the number of people in their 20s working at construction sites is surging.

According to the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association`s survey released Monday on the employment patterns of daily construction workers (about 4.26 million people) subscribed to retirement benefits, the share of people in their 20s topped 10 percent among all daily construction workers. It is the first time that the association conducted an analysis on the overall employment pattern and work period for all retirement subscribers since its foundation in 1997.

The survey results showed that daily construction workers in their 20s subscribed to retirement benefits numbered 409,000 as of the end of last year, accounting for 10.2 percent of all daily construction workers (standing at 4.01 million, with 250,000 already retired). It is the first figure over 10 percent since related data started to be computed in 2006. A source at the association said, "The number had remained below 10 percent even before computation began," adding, "Young people are flocking to construction sites amid a tight job market."

The figure in their 20s who was contracted for three months or less and worked for at least a day reaches 14.7 percent of people, numbering 620,000. This means that about 90,000 youths in their 20s were engaged in part time manual labor for at least a day last year.

The ratio of foreigners who newly became daily construction workers and thus were subscribed to retirement benefits also topped 10.0 percent for the first time in 2012 and rose to 12,0 percent last year.