90% of Gen Z says they won't keep quiet over problems at work

(123rf)

An overwhelming majority of young job seekers in South Korea say they will pursue some type of action when they are discontent with the company, a survey showed Friday.

A local job-search platform Catch revealed the results of the survey it conducted on 1,699 of the people belonging to Generation Z -- adults born after the mid-1990s. When asked what they would do if they are dissatisfied with the company they work for, only 10 percent of the respondents said that they would just hold it in.

About 25 percent of the respondents said they would confine in a coworker, followed by 23 percent saying they would just leave the company, and 21 percent saying they would consult with their supervisor.

Some 6 percent said they will seek to address the issue by joining a labor union.

But the majority of the overall respondents, 51 percent, said they were unsure about whether to join a union, with 31 percent saying they will join while 18 percent said they will not. Of those open to joining a union, 37 percent said it was because they believe being a union member would give them benefits.

Of those who said they do not want to join a labor union, 38 percent said it was because of their excessive politically motivated activities.

"Because Gen Z tends to prioritize personal benefits (compared to the previous generations), they tend to join a labor union based on what benefits they can get. ... They were particularly interested in factors like pay raises, better work conditions and job security," an official at Catch said.

The responses from younger workers suggest that the perceived standard of an ideal employee in South Korea may be shifting, from diligent and cooperative to being able to speak out about one's rights.

But pPast surveys on the general workforce have suggested very few people speak out against unreasonable treatment at the workplace. A June survey by civic group Gapjil 119 on 1,000 workers across the country showed that only 10.3 percent of those who faced abuse at work had reported their case to the company or the related government agency.

Some 60.6 percent said they did nothing, while 23.1 percent said they quit. More than half, 53.9 percent, of these people said they did not report the case because they "did not believe it would not make things better."

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)