Nearly 4 out of every 10 single female workers here do not plan to have a baby when they get married, partly due to fears of losing their jobs, a survey showed Thursday, offering an explanation for the country's low birthrate.

In a survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries, 38.3 percent of unmarried female workers in their 20s and 30s said they had no plans to give birth when they got married.

The survey was conducted on 500 married and single females who are currently employed. The FKI did not provide the exact ratio of those married to unmarried.

Those married currently had an average 1.5 children, while single female workers said they planned to have an average 1.1 children.

South Korea's low birthrate has long been a serious problem, especially when its overall population is aging at one of the fastest rates in the world.

An earlier report from the FKI showed the ratio of people aged

65 years or more is expected to reach 35.15 percent of the total population in 2050, meaning those able to work may be outnumbered by those too old or too young to work.

South Korea's birthrate came to a little over 1.2 percent in 2015, the lowest among all members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

To tackle the problem, the central and regional governments have been offering various incentives to newlyweds and those who give birth, ranging from food stamps and tax breaks to payments of up to 5 million won ($4,600) in cash for a fifth child.

Those surveyed, however, said such incentives were neither adequate nor realistic.

Nearly 7 out of every 10 people surveyed said the support measures were unrealistic, while only 5.4 percent said they were happy with the government measures.

Fear of losing one's job or career apparently played a role in forcing people to postpone or even give up having children, the survey showed.

Nearly half, or 47.8 percent of those surveyed, said government support must focus more on issues related to employment of those who give birth, while 42.2 percent of the total also noted a need to promote a work culture that encourages mothers to take childcare leave. (Yonhap)