The BBC has visited the shops without employees in the South Korean capital, Soul, to find out if they can offer a solution to the lack of work of the country – and if they can count on the honesty of their customers.
It goes from midnight to the outskirts of the South Korean capital, Soul, and I want to make a snack.
But this is not a problem. Cross the road where my apartment is located and I don’t find one, but three shops that sell food and are open 24 hours a day.
Within a ice cream shop. Meet freezer freezers with various tastes of ice cream, but there are no safety guards or sellers – only the products on display and an automatic kiosk, where you pay for what to take for.
All I have to do is get what you want and pay before leaving.
In the same block of the ice cream shop, there are shops that sell stationery material, pet food and even sushi. None of them have a single employee in view.
In the most populous areas of the city, there are several bars without employees.
“To manage a bar on this scale with profit, I need 12-15 employees, but to contract only two people,” says Kim Sung -rae, founder and creator of a bar of employees named Sool 24 -Semplicely, “24 hours alcoholic” in Korean.
He says that this measure allows him to have time to devote himself to other commercial initiatives.
Kim used to manage a bar nearby. But the revenue did not reach his expectations, which led him to move to the staff system without employees. And now the profits have increased.
Less children
Decades of low birth rates and wage increases are the causes of automation.
South Korea has the lowest fertility rate recorded in the world. The average number of children per woman reached 0.72 in 2023, although it increased slightly last year to 0.75.
To keep the population stable, the fertility rate must be at least 2.1. South Korea passed this level only for the last time in 1982.
Therefore, the number of people who enter the labor market has decreased.
Alleato in this fact, the minimum wage of the country has been stable since 2000. Traders like Kim now have to pay any employee equivalent to about $ 7 (about $ 39) per hour.
“The main reason that led me not to have employees was the increase in minimum wages,” explains Kim. “There are two ways to face this situation: robotics or automation – and we simply cannot take employees”.
Robot installation requires more money and space. Therefore, he chose to keep the shops without employees.
Covid-19 pandemic has supported the scale on automation. It made it possible to save money on wage payment and it was a way to get around the rigid social distance rules in force at that moment.
Some people say that the new generation of workers does not want the “3D jobs” so called. They are considered dirty, dangerous, difficult or humiliating.
These are manual works in industry, agriculture and now in retail trade, which are considered unwanted.
“Young Generation tries to stay in the metropolitan regions … and they also love to create their own activities, risk their capital and try … look for jobs with a good compensation in the high-tech sector”, says Cho Jung-Hun, member of the popular government party at the South Korean national assembly and a member of the Permanent Education Committee.
“Unlike other legislators, do not blame our young generation [por ter] This preference, “Cho continues.
“Statistics show that we will have to face the lack of labor in the coming years and it is better to allocate our workforce limited to the sectors” with maximized value, he said.
The Economic Research Institute of Korea is a Think tank (Research and debate Center) private. The institution estimates that 43% of South Korean jobs are in danger of being replaced by automation in the next 20 years.
With this, there will be new opportunities for people like Kwon Min-Jae, CEO (Executive Director) of Brownie, who manages the shops without employees on behalf of his owners. He created his business at the end of Covid Crisis in 2022.
“We manage laundries, ice cream parlors, minimarkets, cafés and shops without employees,” he told the BBC.
Even if the shop has no employees, it must be supplied, clean and receive maintenance, explains Kwon.
Initially, shop owners have worked. Now the Kwon company offers professionals who can keep the shops.
“We have a group of local employees who can visit many of these shops a day,” he explains.
“The greatest priority of the owners is not having a job with the shops and not thinking about it. They prefer to spend more $ 100 or $ 200 [cerca de R$ 562 ou R$ 1.124] per month with us, to manage the shops for them. “
Kwon says he started with only two stores, but today he succeeds over 100.
Few thefts
South Korea has a very low theft rate, which increases the success of the staff without staff.
“There were also cases in which people forgot to pay, but they called me later to pay the purchase,” says Kim.
“I don’t know other shops, but here the young people feel quite safe enough to leave their wallet and their cell phone to keep their tables.”
He admits that there may be some damage caused by the theft in the shop, but they are not enough to make their activities impossible.
“In fact, I never do the reports of what has been stolen,” says Kim. “In all, I don’t lose money, so it’s not important.”
“In any case, the cost for saving money is greater than the damage. Taking security guards will cost more than the economy.”
With the progress of technology, other works will become redundant. This is the case of drivers when autonomous cars invade the market.
It is estimated that by 2032 South Korea will need over 890,000 new workers to maintain the country’s long -term economic growth objective, from 2% per year.
Some institutions, such as South Korea, are worried about the future of the labor market. But the owners of shops without employees, like Kim Sung-Rae, are very optimistic about the economic opportunities that are emerging for them.
This report is based on an episode of the series Affairs dailyfrom the world service of the BBC.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
