[Korea] Government’s 4.5-day workweek roadmap

In Korea, a tripartite consultative body tasked with outlining the blueprint for the government’s national agenda of a 4.5-day workweek has started its discussions, The Chosun reports.

On September 24, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had launched the Task Force for Reducing Actual Working Hours Roadmap. The task force includes the government, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the Korea Enterprises Federation, and the Federation of Korean Small and Medium Business.

It reportedly plans to engage in discussion for three months and release a Roadmap for Reducing Actual Working Hours, which includes detailed plans for implementing the 4.5-day workweek.

During the presidential election campaign, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to reduce South Korea’s average working hours to below the OECD average by 2030 and adopted the promotion of a 4.5-day workweek as a national agenda. 

As of 2024, South Korea’s annual average working hours stood at 1,859 hours, higher than the OECD average of 1,717 hours.

The government is expected to prioritise the reach of the 4.5-day workweek. It intends to enact the Act on Support for Reducing Actual Working Hours within the year, which would enable financial support for companies adopting the 4.5-day system. In addition, it has finalised a budget allocation of 32.5 billion Korean won for next year to implement pilot projects for the 4.5-day workweek. 

There is anticipation within the government that, if the momentum for introducing the 4.5-day workweek spreads as planned, a review of legal revisions to reduce statutory working hours themselves could begin around 2028. But with labour groups demanding a 4.5-day workweek without wage cuts, social debates on this issue may be unavoidable.

In addition, the government reportedly plans to ban the inclusive wage system, which labour groups have criticised for increasing ‘free labour’ hours. The inclusive wage system is a wage system in which overtime, night, and holiday work allowances are predetermined as a fixed amount, without considering actual working hours. The government will amend the Labor Standards Act to mandate the measurement and recording of actual working hours.

Source: The Chosun

In Korea, a tripartite consultative body tasked with outlining the blueprint for the government’s national agenda of a 4.5-day workweek has started its discussions, The Chosun reports.

On September 24, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had launched the Task Force for Reducing Actual Working Hours Roadmap. The task force includes the government, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the Korea Enterprises Federation, and the Federation of Korean Small and Medium Business.

It reportedly plans to engage in discussion for three months and release a Roadmap for Reducing Actual Working Hours, which includes detailed plans for implementing the 4.5-day workweek.

During the presidential election campaign, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to reduce South Korea’s average working hours to below the OECD average by 2030 and adopted the promotion of a 4.5-day workweek as a national agenda. 

As of 2024, South Korea’s annual average working hours stood at 1,859 hours, higher than the OECD average of 1,717 hours.

The government is expected to prioritise the reach of the 4.5-day workweek. It intends to enact the Act on Support for Reducing Actual Working Hours within the year, which would enable financial support for companies adopting the 4.5-day system. In addition, it has finalised a budget allocation of 32.5 billion Korean won for next year to implement pilot projects for the 4.5-day workweek. 

There is anticipation within the government that, if the momentum for introducing the 4.5-day workweek spreads as planned, a review of legal revisions to reduce statutory working hours themselves could begin around 2028. But with labour groups demanding a 4.5-day workweek without wage cuts, social debates on this issue may be unavoidable.

In addition, the government reportedly plans to ban the inclusive wage system, which labour groups have criticised for increasing ‘free labour’ hours. The inclusive wage system is a wage system in which overtime, night, and holiday work allowances are predetermined as a fixed amount, without considering actual working hours. The government will amend the Labor Standards Act to mandate the measurement and recording of actual working hours.

Source: The Chosun