청 "Public Enterprise 'Regular Employee Conversion' Inevitable... Will Heed Youth Voices"

Lim Seo-jeong, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, is responding on the 21st to a Blue House public petition opposing the conversion of non-regular workers in public enterprises to regular positions. (Photo by Blue House website)

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 21st, the Blue House explained the inevitability of the policy regarding the conversion of non-regular workers in public enterprises to regular positions, stating, "Non-regular workers have more unstable employment, lower income, and are more exposed to industrial accident risks compared to regular workers," while also saying, "We will carefully listen to the various voices of young people raised regarding the issue of regularization this time."

Im Seo-jung, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, responded to the Blue House public petition opposing the conversion of non-regular workers in public enterprises to regular positions, stating, "Through the policy of regularizing public sector workers, we will stabilize the employment of non-regular workers, eliminate discrimination, and create quality jobs." He added, "We will actively support young people who find it difficult to find jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic to secure quality employment, and we will make greater efforts to ensure that the youth, who are the future of our society, are not hurt by employment issues." He emphasized, "We promise to pursue the policy while adhering to the principles of employment stability and eradication of hiring corruption."

This petition arose after Incheon International Airport Corporation announced it would convert 1,902 non-regular workers?more than the number of existing regular employees?into regular positions, sparking dissatisfaction among job seekers and leading to what is called the 'In-guk-gong Incident.' The petitioner requested the suspension of the related policy, claiming that the conversion of non-regular workers to regular positions is unfair. The petition garnered 352,266 supporters.

Vice Minister Im explained, "One-third of workers in our country are non-regular workers, and especially, the proportion of non-regular workers among young workers exceeds 40%." He added, "To reduce costs, non-regular workers are employed and risky tasks are shifted to them, which has deepened the polarization of jobs." He continued, "Seeing this unfortunate reality, a national consensus has emerged that the indiscriminate use of non-regular workers can no longer be tolerated."

He also explained that the conversion of non-regular workers to regular positions has been pursued not only by the Moon Jae-in administration but also by previous governments, but this has led to the side effect of an increase in 'dispatch and service' workers in indirect employment forms.

Vice Minister Im introduced three principles to improve this situation, stating, "Not only fixed-term workers but also dispatch and service workers are converted to regular positions, and by improving the treatment of converted workers using funds saved from reducing management fees and profits previously paid to service companies, the burden on the public has been minimized." He added, "Specific methods and procedures for regularization are autonomously decided through sufficient discussion at labor-management-expert councils tailored to the characteristics of each institution." He further noted, "Although some institutions experienced conflicts during this process, in most institutions, the conversion to regular positions proceeded smoothly according to government guidelines."

However, Vice Minister Im acknowledged, "Many people still have concerns about the regularization policy," emphasizing, "It is not an unconditional conversion; a certain hiring procedure must be followed to harmonize the two principles of 'employment stability' and 'eradication of hiring corruption.'" He also said, "The government respects the job experience of non-regular workers who have silently endured long-term employment instability and poor treatment, and even when converting them to regular positions, they must go through minimal evaluation procedures such as document screening and interviews." He added, "Workers hired after the announcement of the regularization policy undergo strengthened hiring procedures, including verification of hiring routes and kinship, and jobs preferred by young people, such as professional positions, are filled through open competitive recruitment."

Regarding concerns that the government's policy of converting non-regular workers to regular positions might suppress new hiring, he stated, "Since this is a conversion of the employment type of existing workers, it does not affect new hiring for existing regular positions." He revealed, "In fact, the annual number of new regular hires in public institutions, which was about 20,000 in the past, has increased to over 30,000 even while the conversion of non-regular workers has been underway since the Moon Jae-in administration began."

Regarding the case of Incheon International Airport Corporation, he said, "Separate from the regularization, about 70 general entry-level employees have been hired annually." He added, "Although delayed this year due to COVID-19, the procedure to hire about 70 new employees, similar to previous years, is underway."

Vice Minister Im concluded, "Labor and management will take joint responsibility to resolve related issues going forward," emphasizing, "Through an advisory group involving labor and management at Incheon Airport, misunderstandings and conflicts will be resolved, and employment stability measures for those who failed to be hired will be prepared. The government will also provide maximum support to ensure the conversion is smoothly completed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.