The Korea Local Administration Review

Following the 1997’s economic crisis in Korea, there was a large fall and a quick recovery in the quality of jobs and the regional disparity in the quality of jobs had widened. No research, however, has been done regarding this issue. This paper, using KLIPS data, investigates the determinants and the impact of the economic crisis of 1997 on the quality of jobs of working household heads, and the changes in the disparity in the quality of jobs between six regions. Education, sex, type of job, firm size, permanent job, and region play key roles in holding a good job. The impact of the crisis on Non-Seoul, especially Kyungbuk and Daegu area was most severe and the recovery in the quality of jobs showed regional diaparity as well. The regional disparity, therefore, had widened over the ten year period.