Under the peak wage system, companies pay senior employees reduced salaries after the workers “peak” at a certain age, generally between 55 and 60, in return for extending the company retirement age by a few years.

In the plural response-based poll, 56.3 percent of the supporters for the plan pointed to job security as the reason for supporting the system, followed by 37.6 percent expecting the system to generate jobs for young people and 35 percent seeking to save costs in the face of a prolonged retirement age.

Of the supporters of the system, the majority said that a 10 to 20 percent decrease in their salaries was appropriate and employees should start to receive slashed salaries at age 55 when the system takes effect. 

Among those against the peak wage system, 44.5 percent thought that the companies should find alternate ways to improve competitiveness. Nearly 39 percent opposed the scheme in fear of wage cuts while 35.7 percent viewed the extension of the retirement age as their legal right, not subject to bargaining.

With the official retirement age set to rise by two years to 60 next year, the government has pushed for expanding the system to the private sector to curb youth joblessness despite labor unions’ vocal opposition to the scheme.

Shortly after the survey was released, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the biggest labor unions in the nation, lashed out at the government for “misleading the public” with the survey.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)