The growth rate of real wages for salaried workers hit its lowest mark in 33 months during the third quarter, due mainly to the low purchasing power of consumers.

The per-capita real wage ― adjusted from the minimum wage in reflection of on-year consumer prices growth ― stayed at 2.95 million won ($2,680) per month in the third quarter, inching up 0.08 percent from 2.94 million won over the same period last year, data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed Monday.

The figure is the lowest growth rate since minus 2.4 percent was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The on-year growth has continued to slow ― 3.4 percent in the second quarter of 2013, 2.5 percent in the third quarter of 2013, 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2014 and 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2014.

Some pundits accordingly have raised the possibility that the rate will fall into negative territory in the fourth quarter of 2014.

When the figure for regular workers is omitted, the real wage for temporary workers has posted a minus growth for the second consecutive quarter. The contract workers saw their on-year real salary reduced by 2.8 percent in the third quarter to 1.25 million won.

While the ratio of nonregular jobs to the total number of salaried employees has remained around 33 percent, the income gap between regular and nonregular workers has widened, market insiders said.

The monthly income disparity was 990,000 won in 2009 but it steadily rose to 1.15 million won in 2014.

Wage hikes were made in favor of regular workers. Though the average wage for regular employees rose 2.3 percent on-year in 2014, the wage for contract workers inched up 1.8 percent, the data showed.

The average monthly wage for contract workers increased just 25,000 won from a year before to stay at 1.45 million won, about 55 percent of the level of regular workers.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)