Gwangju City Supports Childcare Leave Management Allowance for Small and Medium Enterprises

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Work-Family Balance Support Headquarters announced on the 22nd that it will implement a childcare leave work substitution allowance support project for small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 100 employees.

The childcare leave work substitution support project is the first and only childcare leave activation project nationwide targeting small and medium-sized enterprises by Gwangju City. It was established to alleviate the difficulties of employees who cannot take childcare leave due to the lack of substitute personnel and employees who substitute for their work.

This year, due to the increased childcare burden on dual-income couples caused by COVID-19 and the need for short-term childcare leave, allowances will be supported starting this month.

First implemented in 2019, it has supported 44 people from 32 companies to date. It has contributed to spreading a work-family balance culture in the workplace, allowing workers in underprivileged local SMEs to comfortably take childcare leave and encouraging employees substituting for childcare leave workers to be considerate.

This year's support targets employees of small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 100 employees who are substituting for childcare leave workers. If they have substituted for childcare leave workers for 10 months between January and December this year, they can receive 200,000 KRW per month, up to a maximum of 2,000,000 KRW.

Up to two employees (100,000 KRW each) can substitute for one childcare leave worker, and if the period is less than 10 months, the amount will be calculated proportionally. The support funds will be paid via the local currency, Gwangju Sangsaeng Card.

The support condition is for companies with fewer than 100 employees that cannot hire substitute personnel due to company circumstances and special conditions. They must be enrolled in employment insurance, guarantee the employment of childcare leave workers, and comply with the automatic childcare leave system.

Supported companies will also receive various benefits such as free consulting for family-friendly certification from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and support projects for family-friendly management programs.

To apply, applicants must fill out the prescribed documents, including the work substitution allowance application form, and submit them to the Work Mom Support Center of the Work-Family Balance Support Headquarters. Recruitment is on a first-come, first-served basis until the budget is exhausted.

Je Sun-ja, head of the Work-Family Balance Support Headquarters, said, “The childcare leave work substitution allowance support project, now in its third year, is a niche support project with high satisfaction among the companies, leave takers, and substitutes involved. Although these are difficult times due to COVID-19, we hope it helps everyone working to take childcare leave with peace of mind.”

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