Catholics were found to have a strong desire to reflect on the meaning and value of work practices following the social teachings of the church.
The survey was conducted from October 7 to 31, 2021, targeting 309 men and women 17 years of age or older who were connected with the Archdiocese of Seoul.
As a result of the survey, 79.3% of respondents said that they view what they do as God's calling. Also, 91.3% of respondents said they were Catholic at work. 93.9% of the respondents indicated that they considered themselves contributing to society through their work. Regarding the importance of justice in the workplace, 90.3% of the respondents said they are willing to raise an objection when they see unfair work practices. 82.8% of the respondents said that the Catholic Church helps them understand the value of work.
To the question of who is socially underprivileged in the workplace, workers with disabilities accounted for the most at 46.3%, followed by workers injured by industrial accidents at 36.2%, migrant workers at 32.4%, and youth workers at 31.4%.
Looking at the field of whether the working environment is safe, 78% of the respondents answered that the cause of industrial accidents was due to management which puts profits at top priority. It was followed by 45.6% of companies' negligence in safety management, and 43.7% said that it was due to little concern for punishment and regulations.
By economic activity group, the response of 'workers' lack of safety awareness' was higher in the employer group, while wage workers pointed to the causes in the company. The Labor Minister’s Committee analyzed this, saying: "It indicates the need for specialization in education for each economically active group."
Regarding whether working conditions are just, 85.4% of the respondents said that they did not enjoy enough rest and leisure, and 88% of the respondents answered that they thought they were not being paid enough. The reason for not receiving sufficient remuneration was that there were a lot of non-regular jobs, and large companies set low subcontract prices.
As for whether our society provides enough jobs, 87.4% of the respondents answered that they did not. As the cause of the job shortage, 50.2% answered that the government's lack of effective employment policy was the reason.
As for whether they would like to participate in labor-related social doctrine education and labor pastoral activities, 63.1% of the respondents expressed their intention to participate in labor-related education based on social doctrine. In addition, 33.3% of the respondents expressed their intention to participate in the activities of the Catholic Church related to labor issues.
The Labor and Pastoral Committee said: "The results of the survey on 'labor and faith' in commemoration of the World Day for Decent Work on October 7, 2021, will call on governments to develop jobs plans. The survey examined the values of work among believers and reminds us of various current issues facing our society." The article ends with a prayer that believers and the church reflect together and joyfully continue their journey toward 'Christ, the working man'.
