CUBE

As Working Hours Are Reduced, Food Manufacturing Plants Face a Double Challenge of Domestic Demand Stagnation and Labor Shortages (The Korea Economic Daily, Aug. 6, 2025)

As labor-related issues continue to rise, food companies are being forced to change working arrangements at their production plants. However, due to the nature of the food industry, making immediate changes to work structures is not easy. Food manufacturing is a highly labor-intensive industry, with labor costs accounting for a significant portion of expenses relative to revenue and profit. Even when companies attempt to hire additional workers to accommodate new working arrangements, they face further challenges. Younger workers increasingly avoid factory jobs, leading to severe hiring difficulties on production floors.

Seoul Faces a Growing Gap in Cafeteria Cooking Staff (Korea School Meal News, Feb. 19, 2025)

The shortage of cooking staff in school meal services continues to worsen. In Seoul, where the situation is most severe, only about 15% of the target number of positions were filled during public recruitment in the second half of last year. Even among those hired, there remains a risk of dropouts during the final school placement process. The problem is particularly acute in the Gangnam and Seocho districts, where more than 50% of schools have at least one vacant cooking staff position.

CUBE

As Working Hours Are Reduced, Food Manufacturing Plants Face a Double Challenge of Domestic Demand Stagnation and Labor Shortages (The Korea Economic Daily, Aug. 6, 2025)

As labor-related issues continue to rise, food companies are being forced to change working arrangements at their production plants. However, due to the nature of the food industry, making immediate changes to work structures is not easy. Food manufacturing is a highly labor-intensive industry, with labor costs accounting for a significant portion of expenses relative to revenue and profit. Even when companies attempt to hire additional workers to accommodate new working arrangements, they face further challenges. Younger workers increasingly avoid factory jobs, leading to severe hiring difficulties on production floors.

Seoul Faces a Growing Gap in Cafeteria Cooking Staff (Korea School Meal News, Feb. 19, 2025)

The shortage of cooking staff in school meal services continues to worsen. In Seoul, where the situation is most severe, only about 15% of the target number of positions were filled during public recruitment in the second half of last year. Even among those hired, there remains a risk of dropouts during the final school placement process. The problem is particularly acute in the Gangnam and Seocho districts, where more than 50% of schools have at least one vacant cooking staff position.