Nonregular workers accounted for 46% of South Korean wage earners aged 15-29 in August, the highest share since records began in 2003. The proportion rose 14.2 percentage points from 31.8% in 2003, far outpacing the 5.9-point increase across all age groups. Overall, nonregular workers reached 8.671 million, or 38.5% of 22.526 million wage earners, while their average monthly pay rose just 1.1% to 2.112 million Korean won from June to August. The wage gap with regular workers widened to a record 1.94 million won, underscoring concerns about job quality as young people face tougher entry into stable employment.