ISSUE BRIEFING

The Real Difference Between Regular and Contract Workers: The Employment Boundary Divided by 'Two Years'

Regular employment is closer to an employment type used practically to distinguish from fixed-term, part-time, or dispatched workers rather than being a single unified legal concept penetrating labor relation laws. As of August 2025, non-regular workers numbered 8.568 million, accounting to 38.2% of total wage workers, and fixed-term workers stood at 5.337 million. Fixed-term workers can generally be employed for up to two years, but exceptions are recognized for project completion, vacancy replacement, and older worker employment. Even after the contract period expires, renewal expectation rights can be recognized, and unjustified discrimination against regular workers performing similar tasks is prohibited. In 2026, discussions on system reform surrounding the 'two-year limit' under the Fixed-Term Workers Act resumed, but as of September, specific forms of a new system have not yet been finalized.