근로환경의 위험한 이중주: 위험의 외주화와 고령자를 중심으로 = The Dangerous Duet of the Working Environment: Focusing on Oursourcing of Hazards and Older Workers

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Our country is stigmatized as both a “Republic of Subcontract Workers” and a “Republic of Industrial Accidents,” with an especially high rate of industrial accidents among elderly workers. This suggests that it may not be merely a case of “outsourcing of risk” running rampant, but rather “outsourcing of risks concentrated on the elderly.” Nevertheless, South Korea approaches industrial accidents in a fragmented manner, based on labor market characteristics. The high accident rate among the elderly is attributed to their carelessness and declining physical capabilities, so companies avoid hiring older workers, creating obstacles to extending their working lives. Therefore, this study used the 7th Working Environment Survey to focus on non-standard employment forms and older workers, examining workplace risks through a multigroup analysis. The results indicate the following: First, 6 out of 10 employed older workers aged 50 and above are in non-standard forms of employment, and among these, 56.7% work in outsourced labor, such as dispatch/subcontracting, contract work, or small-business-owner systems. Second, compared to regular employees, indirectly employed non-regular workers and dependent self-employed individuals are more exposed to physical, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards. Furthermore, even among the same categories of indirectly employed non-regular workers and dependent self-employed individuals, older workers experience higher levels of physical and ergonomic hazards than their non-elderly counterparts. Companies outsource dangerous and strenuous work, and this outsourcing of risk is concentrated among older workers. Furthermore, even among direct-hire non-regular workers, those in secondary industries, simple manual labor positions, or jobs with strict deadlines, older workers are more likely to work in hazardous environments where accidents occur more frequently. Moving forward, rather than classifying older workers as a high-risk group for accidents and shifting responsibility for accidents, efforts should focus on accurate problem diagnosis and comprehensive improvements to the working environment, leaving no blind spots.