- Analysis of 5,126 university postdocs finds 27.9% earn less than 3 million won a month

- 36.7% on contracts of one year or less, raising urgent calls for better treatment

Graduate students in science and engineering conduct research and development work. [Herald DB]
Graduate students in science and engineering conduct research and development work. [Herald DB]

"I have a doctorate, and I still can't make 3 million won a month."

Nearly three in 10 postdoctoral researchers in science and engineering at domestic universities earn less than 3 million won ($2,260) a month, a new analysis shows. Close to four in 10 are on contracts of one year or less, exposing a troubling combination of poor pay and job insecurity among the country's most highly trained research talent.

The findings come from data on employment and compensation for science and engineering postdoctoral researchers that Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Nam-kuk, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, obtained from the Ministry of Education. Of 5,126 postdoctoral researchers working at 75 universities nationwide, 1,430 — or 27.9 percent — received monthly pay below 3 million won.

Breaking the figures down further, 241 researchers (4.7 percent) earned less than 2 million won a month, while 1,189 (23.2 percent) fell in the 2 million to 3 million won range. Another 1,597 (31.2 percent) earned between 3 million and 4 million won, meaning 3,027 researchers — 59.1 percent of the total — took home less than 4 million won a month.

Pay gaps between institutions were also stark. At Kangwon National University, 74 of 126 postdocs (58.7 percent) earned less than 3 million won a month. At Yeungnam University the share was 23 of 40 (57.5 percent), and at Suncheon National University 18 of 32 (56.3 percent) — both above the halfway mark. Even at Yonsei University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, 311 of 1,016 postdocs (30.6 percent) fell below the 3 million won threshold.

Beyond low pay, precarious employment conditions drew equal concern.

Of all postdoctoral researchers surveyed, 1,879 — or 36.7 percent — were on contracts of one year or less. At Catholic University, Hanyang University's ERICA campus and Yeungnam University, every postdoc covered by the survey was on a contract of one year or shorter, with those institutions accounting for 149, 47 and 40 researchers respectively.

At Chungbuk National University, 77 of 107 postdocs (72.0 percent) held one-year-or-shorter contracts. The figures were 206 of 306 (67.3 percent) at Pohang University of Science and Technology and 106 of 171 (62.0 percent) at Hanyang University's main campus.

The findings intersect with growing concern about the emigration of South Korea's top science and engineering talent.

A Bank of Korea survey released last year found that 42.9 percent of 1,916 master's and doctoral degree holders in science and engineering fields were considering moving abroad for work within three years. Financial factors such as salary were cited as the top reason, at 66.7 percent.

A separate survey this year by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training found that 17.7 percent of newly minted natural-science doctorates and 11.5 percent of engineering doctorates from last year had plans to emigrate. Particularly striking, 91.3 percent of the natural-science new doctorates planning to leave said their goal was to pursue a postdoctoral position abroad.

The analysis does have limitations. Of the 191 universities the Ministry of Education targeted, only 101 submitted data, and compensation figures were available for just 75 of those. The results may not fully reflect conditions for postdoctoral researchers across the country as a whole.

Kim said the government has repeatedly emphasized nurturing science and technology talent and expanding research and development investment, but that the actual pay of doctoral-level researchers working in the field deserves closer attention. "The government and universities need to work together to think about what an appropriate level of compensation looks like for postdoctoral researchers and how their working conditions can be improved," he said.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com