South Korean Civil Servant Pay Proposed to Rise 3.9%, Biggest Increase in 16 Years

  • South Korea approved a 3.9% civil servant pay increase in its proposed 2027 budget.
  • Grade 9 Step 1 monthly compensation is projected to rise from ₩2.86 million to about ₩3 million.
  • Junior Grade 7–9 officials will receive additional increases to address public-sector attrition.

South Korea's 2027 budget proposal includes a 3.9% civil servant pay increase, the largest since a 5.1% rise in 2011. The Ministry of Economy and Finance approved the proposal at a Cabinet meeting on the 1st. Average monthly compensation for entry-level Grade 9 civil servants, including allowances, is projected to reach approximately ₩3 million ($2,200), up from about ₩2.86 million ($2,100) for Grade 9 Step 1 officials in 2026. Junior Grade 7–9 employees will receive an additional increase on top of the common adjustment as the government seeks to curb public-sector attrition and narrow the pay gap with private employers. Civil servant pay is 83.9% of levels at private-sector workplaces with 100 or more regular employees. The proposal also sets public-sector non-regular workers' pay at 118% of the minimum wage and allocates ₩73 billion ($53.1 million) for a Fair Work Allowance for fixed-term workers with less than one year of service.

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