[Lifestyle] Stable occupations gaining popularity

Koreans increasingly tend to put job security before prestige.

South Koreans seem to be seeking stability in their jobs, rather than chasing after the big money, a recent survey shows, as the desire to be a teacher or professor outweighed aims for higher-paid positions.

Results of the survey, conducted by Pay Open, an internet site which holds wage information from various industries, showed that the top preferred occupation of respondants was teacher or professor, chosen by 15.1 percent of the 2,231 respondents. Public servant (14.6 percent) ranked second, followed by financial professional (12.4 percent), IT consultant (12 percent), and broadcaster or entertainer (10.5 percent). Doctor (7.8 percent) and lawyer (6 percent), the most commonly cited high paying jobs, ranked 7th and 10th, respectively.

"The high popularity of teachers and public servants shows job seekers’ tendency of preferring working condition and stability to money," Pay Open official Han Min-gyeong said.

According to Worknet, the Ministry of Labor’s employment information system, elementary school teachers earned 29.85 million won (30,000 USD) per year on average, while middle and high school teachers recieved 33.24 million won yearly. Meanwhile, the annual salary of government employees was the lowest among the categories, with 27.31 million won earned by mid-level public servants, 21.20 million won for junior-level workers and 17.21 million won for entry level public servants.

By occupation, dentists got the highest annual salary at 91.50 million won, followed by plastic surgeons (73.60 million won), lawyers (69.19 million won), financial managers (65.43 million won), science professors (64.40 million won) and ophthalmologists (63.83 million won). General physicians came in at 59.07 million won on average in yearly compensation.

A number of broadcasters and entertainers received an annual salary of over 100 million won, but they were minor in number and did not significantly affect the survey results. Entertainment show emcees from all media earned 60 million won on average per year, dubbing artists 56.85 million won, announcers 49.73 million won and make-up artists 26.72 million won.