KOREA : 1 in 3 Workers will be Over 55 by 2025

In 2025, the proportion of Korea’s older workers will be the highest in the world due to a rapid ageing of the population, says a report from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Kim Won-jong, an official from Directorate for Employment, Labor and Social Affairs in OECD, said that Korea’s proportion of aged workers will rise to 28.6 percent by 2025 from 16.1 percent in 2000, citing the recent report from the OECD.
France, which was the first in the world to be classified as an aged society, used to have the highest rate of 13 %, and Japan, whose average age is the highest in the world, with its 28.2 % are not anymore the only ones to be concerned by population ageing.
According to OECD figures, the proportion of aged workers will reach 31.1 percent by 2050, compared with Japan’ s 32.1 percent, which will make labor productivity a serious social problem.
Kim pointed out that the Korean government needs to expand its spending to deal with the aging phenomenon including pensions and medical fees. The government spent only 3.1 percent of GDP in 2002, the lowest among OECD members. He said “Advanced countries have established and carried out various policies in preparation for an aging society. It is urgent that our government should take swift measures for ageing workforce”.
“A healthy aged workforce with a high education level can be a source of manpower in various sectors. We should use this to create new opportunities”.

source : http://www.hankooki.com