Workload and low wages push more young police officers and fire fighters to quit

Police (Herald DB)

A growing number of young police officers and firefighters in South Korea are quitting their jobs, citing heavy workloads and low wages, data showed Wednesday.

According to data from the National Police Agency submitted to Rep. Shin Jung-hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of police officers with less than ten years of service who resigned voluntarily nearly doubled from 155 in 2022 to 301 last year.

Similarly, 125 firefighters with less than ten years of service resigned last year, compared to 98 in 2022. In the first half of this year alone, 162 police officers and 60 firefighters have already left their posts.

The proportion of these junior officers among all resignations is also on the rise. Among police officers, those with less than ten years of service accounted for 63 percent of all resignations in 2022. This figure rose to 72.7 percent last year and 77.1 percent in the first half of this year. A similar pattern is observed among firefighters, with the rate increasing from 62.8 percent in 2022 to 72.2 percent last year, and 75 percent in the first half of this year.

This trend is reflected in the recruitment process, with more people opting out of applying for the job in the first place. In the first half of this year, the competition rate for police recruitment was 9.9 to 1 for men and 24.6 to 1 for women. It was the first time in two decades that the ratio for men dropped to single digits.

The competition rate for firefighter positions also declined, from 13.8 to 1 last year to 11.5 to 1 this year.

This figure is in line with a broader trend of the younger generation turning away from government jobs. This year, the competition for an entry-level civil servant was the lowest in 32 years since 1992.

Low pay and overwork are seen as major reasons why many young officers decide to leave. Currently, a first-year police officer receives about 1.87 million won ($1,393) a month in base salary, less than the approximately 2 million won that one would earn by working the same hours for minimum wage. Firefighters receive wages in a similar range as well.

While they receive lunch stipends, overtime pay and other benefits, their salary is much lower than those working for private companies.

Experts are concerned that the growing number of junior police officers' and firefighters' resignations could hurt patrol coverage and responses to emergencies.

By Ahn Sung-mi(sahn@heraldcorp.com)