The labor community has demanded that the minimum wage applied in 2026 be set at 11,500 won per hour. This represents a 14.7% increase from this year, amounting to a monthly salary of 2,403,500 won based on a 40-hour workweek and 209 hours a month.
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, along with civic groups, held a press conference on the 11th in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, stating this demand regarding the minimum wage applicable in 2026.
The demand put forward by the labor community on this day is the first since the Minimum Wage Commission held its meeting in April to decide on next year's minimum wage.
The two major trade unions noted that their demanded minimum wage reflects "the economic indicators considering the economic growth rate and inflation rate over the past five years, the gap in minimum wage increase rate (11.8%), and the adjustment for the decline in real wages due to the expansion of the minimum wage calculation range (2.9%)."
The labor community had previously proposed a minimum wage of 12,600 won per hour last year. The minimum wage this year has surpassed 10,000 won per hour for the first time. However, the increase rate compared to the previous year is 1.7%, the second lowest since 2021 (1.5%).
Additionally, the labor community argued that contracted workers, such as special employment workers and platform workers, should also be entitled to the minimum wage. Previously, they made this demand at the fourth plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission held the day before.
In response, the commissioners of the Minimum Wage Commission stated in a recommendation that "discussions regarding the applicability and method of minimum wage for non-employee labor providers such as special type workers and platform workers requested by the labor community should be discussed not by our commission but by separate bodies with substantial authority, such as the government, the National Assembly, and the Economic, Social and Labor Council."
The Minimum Wage Commission is scheduled to hold its fifth plenary meeting on the 17th.