The government recently stresses the importance on the revision of the Labor Standards Act among the labor reform bills, as it is understood that working hours reduction will create employment. Labor circles also agree to the government plan, but they are split in the mandatory ceiling of weekly working hours.

The Korea Labor Institute(KLI) in 2015 and Korea Labor and Society Institute(KLSI) in 2016 respectively made employment creation projections in two different given conditions of mandatory weekly working hours ceilings; 52 hours and 60 hours(Korea's statutory weekly working hours are 40 hours. The issue is how to regulate the over-time work hours).

In 2015, KLI projected;

If 52 weekly working hours ceiling is regulated in all businesses and workplaces, 157,000 to 272,000 jobs will be created. When the mandatory ceiling excludes the businesses and workplaces with less than 5 employees and special categories of employment, 112,000 to 193,000 jobs will be created.

If 60 weekly working hours ceiling is applied to the businesses and workplaces with 5 and more employees excluding the special categories of employment, 33,000 to 67,000 jobs will be created.

In 2016, KLSI projected;

If 52 weekly working hours ceiling is applied to all businesses and workplaces, 590,000 to 770,000 jobs will be created. When the mandatory ceiling excludes the businesses and workplaces with less than 5 employees and special categories of employment, 330,000 to 430,000 jobs will be created

If 60 weekly working hours ceiling is regulated in all businesses and workplaces, 170,000 to 250,000 jobs will be created. When the mandatory ceiling excludes the businesses and workplaces with less than 5 employees and special categories of employment, 90,000 to 130,000 jobs will be created

reported by Kim Hak-tae
translated by Kim Sung-jin

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