The Asian economic crisis of 1997-99 showed that the model of growth through export manufactures adopted by Korea could not sustain the country to the next rung of economic development; even after the crisis the labour market remained under considerable stress. This new book looks at the major issues that have faced the Korean labour market since the financial crisis, tracing the rise in inequality and division between workers in different sectors and the effect of expansion in higher education, increased longevity and the low fertility.

This book brings together key contributions from Korean labour researchers, containing a guide to the data on Korean workers and firms. For those who want to understand the challenges that face a successful developing country on the road to the top rungs of economic progress, the book lays them out and describes new policy solutions.

For economists, policy-makers, and historians who want to learn how the Korean labor market dealt with the 1997 financial crisis and how this informed future policies, this volume provides a succinct summary of what Korean experts know and how they view the problems the country must overcome to continue on its road to the top rungs of economic success. The book is filled with institutional detail and statistics to enlighten scholars and with critiques of policy and potential solutions from labor specialists. It provides a guide to the data on Korean workers and firms that can inform future research work.