Government to Double Free Remote Work Consulting for SMEs

Ministry of Employment to Recruit Companies for 'Comprehensive Telecommuting Consulting' from 8th to 26th
Providing 12 Weeks of Customized Free Consulting to 400 Small and Medium Enterprises... Twice as Many as Last Year

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap entering the conference room to attend the "Outstanding Companies Utilizing Remote Work Meeting" held at the Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, on September 16 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] As COVID-19 prolongs, the government has decided to expand support for companies adopting telecommuting systems. The number of companies receiving free telecommuting consulting will be doubled compared to last year.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 7th that it will recruit 400 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies to participate in telecommuting consulting from the 8th to the 26th of this month. Additional recruitment will be conducted about three times during the first half of the year.

Telecommuting consulting is a Korean New Deal project that started in September last year. Its purpose is to support the establishment of telecommuting in the field after COVID-19.

Last year, consulting was provided to a total of 212 SMEs, mid-sized companies, and public institutions, and this year the number of supported organizations has been doubled. The consulting period has also been extended from 9 weeks to 12 weeks.

Personnel and labor consultants and information technology (IT) consultants from three specialized consulting organizations?Korea Productivity Center, Korea Management Association Consulting, and Korea Standards Association?will be deployed on-site. Over 12 weeks, they will conduct workplace diagnosis, design the introduction of personnel and labor systems and IT infrastructure linked to government support programs, pilot operations, and follow-up management.

SMEs and mid-sized companies wishing to participate can submit application forms, implementation plans, and other required documents along with business registration certificates and proof of full payment of employment insurance by mail or email.

Min Gil-su, Director of Employment Support Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "We expect telecommuting to become more active, strengthening corporate productivity and improving workers' work-life balance, securing business continuity in emergencies like COVID-19, and bringing positive effects to the future social and economic structure."

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