"Even With 400,000 Won a Day, No Takers... Here, Even Workers in Their 50s Are the 'Youngsters': The Aging Construction Site"

Average Age of Skilled Construction Workers Now 51.7
4 Out of 10 Fatal Accidents Involve Workers in Their 60s
Heavy Reliance on Older Workers... "Industry Sustainability at Risk"

"These days, it's half a joke, half the truth: even the site manager is called 'the youngest' at 60. In the past, people that age would be resting at home, but now they're the ones leading construction sites."

At an apartment remodeling site in Seoul, Lee (66) took off his safety helmet and caught his breath in a corner of the rebar-stacked work area. Thick beads of sweat rolled down from his graying hair. Kim Hansoo (53), who has worked at construction sites for five years, said, "Even I can't act young here because of my age," and laughed, "If I work hard among the older guys, people who are 10 or 15 years older than me call me 'still in my prime' and find me adorable." In tasks requiring expertise such as rebar work, plastering, formwork, and waterproofing, skilled senior workers like them were leading the site and passing on their skills to younger workers.

On the 10th, workers were working at a remodeling construction site of an apartment in Seoul. The construction industry points out that as the inflow of young workers decreases and dependence on older workers increases, concerns about skilled labor shortages and safety accidents are growing. Photo by Ho-Soo Park

As the aging of construction site workers accelerates, concerns are growing over the shortage of skilled labor. With fewer young workers joining the industry, construction sites are becoming increasingly dependent on older workers, which in turn is heightening the risk of safety accidents.

According to the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association on June 15, the number of skilled construction workers in Korea last year was 1.34 million, a decrease of 117,000 from the previous year. Workers in their 50s accounted for the largest share at 33.7%, while those in their 60s and older made up nearly 30%. The average age of skilled construction workers has risen to 51.7, up 2.8 years compared to a decade ago. Among all construction workers, those aged 40 and above now make up 83.2%.

Aging has become the norm at construction sites. The site manager of an architectural firm in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, said, "In the past, workers in their 20s and 30s would follow senior craftsmen and learn from them, but now, even if you offer a daily wage of 400,000 won, you rarely see them. Our biggest concern is that once the skilled workers retire, there will be no one to inherit their expertise."

This aging of construction sites is directly tied to safety issues. According to the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, 2,061 workers died in construction-related work accidents from 2019 to 2023. Of these, 900 were 60 or older, accounting for 43.7%. Including workers in their 50s, the share jumps to 78.6%. In other words, 8 out of 10 construction-related fatalities are "father-age" workers in their 50s or older.

Accidents involving older workers continue to occur. In July last year, at a highway construction site connecting Hamyang-gun and Changnyeong-gun in Gyeongsangnam-do, an 80-something worker died when his safety harness got caught in equipment while operating a drilling machine. More recently, in the Seosomun overpass collapse in Seoul, the site supervisor and the head of the supervisory team, both in their 60s, lost their lives. In June 2024, an 87-year-old worker died after falling while moving at a new senior welfare center construction site in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do.

Major construction firms are restricting hiring for high-risk tasks to those under 65 or conducting separate physical ability assessments. However, at small- and medium-sized sites or local projects, such standards are difficult to apply due to severe labor shortages. A safety manager at one of Korea's top five construction firms said, "Day laborers hired on a daily basis are often brought in to meet urgent deadlines, and when an accident happens, it's often among the older workers, so we are extra cautious."

On the 10th, a worker in his late 50s was performing stonework at a construction site in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hosoo Park

There are efforts to fill the labor gap with foreign workers, but those on-site agree this is not a fundamental solution. An official at a major construction company said, "Some jobs like formwork or demolition can be partially supplemented with foreign labor, but areas like plastering or tiling require at least 20 to 30 years of experience. If the skilled workers currently supporting the industry retire, a sudden and severe skills gap could emerge."

The aging issue is not limited to skilled tradespeople but is also seen in supervision and management roles. According to an official at the Korea Construction Engineers Association, "Many supervisors take up the role as a second career after retiring from construction firms, so the average age is over 70. It's not unusual to see supervisors in their 80s at construction sites."

The problem is that, while the industry recognizes this as a risk, few are willing to discuss it openly. The same official noted, "Due to a shortage of supervisory personnel, even older individuals are deployed to sites as long as they have the necessary qualifications. Accidents become a problem only after they happen; otherwise, everyone is aware of the issue but tends to keep quiet about it."

There are rising concerns that the aging workforce at construction sites is becoming a structural risk for the entire industry. If the influx of young workers remains cut off and skilled veterans begin to retire in earnest, there could be gaps not only in productivity but also in safety management systems. Professor Jung Jinwoo of the Safety Engineering Department at Seoul National University of Science and Technology said, "The aging of construction sites is not just a workforce shortage problem; it's directly tied to safety. Structural responses are needed, such as increasing the inflow of young skilled workers and expanding the adoption of smart construction technologies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.