SMEs Can Now Use 'Welfare Point Service' Without Membership or Usage Fees

Sangui-Ministry of SMEs and Startups Welfare Platform Launches 'Welfare Point Service'

Case Study of Companies Participating in the Pilot Project for Utilizing SME Welfare Platform Points

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) announced on the 29th that they will launch a welfare points service with no membership or usage fees on the jointly operated ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Welfare Platform’ (welfare.korcham.net).

The welfare points service is a system where companies provide welfare expenses to employees in the form of points, allowing them to freely purchase desired welfare products. It is mainly used by large corporations and government/public institutions, but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have faced difficulties in utilizing it due to the burden of membership and usage fees.

When employees receive welfare points as gifts for company anniversaries or holidays, they can freely purchase desired products. Including options such as resorts, self-development expenses, and health checkups broadens the range of choices and increases satisfaction, making it a system with many advantages.

Welfare points can be used like cash within the platform. Companies can provide them universally to all employees or use them as rewards for outstanding employees. It is also possible to allocate welfare expenses differently based on length of service. Going forward, even small SMEs without individual welfare malls are expected to systematically provide and manage employee welfare expenses by utilizing the welfare points function.

In addition, KCCI and MSS announced that SMEs registered on the ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Welfare Platform’ that provide welfare expenses of 350,000 KRW per person annually to at least 30% of their total employees will be certified as excellent welfare companies and receive additional points when applying for government support projects.

First, companies certified as excellent users will be automatically recognized as ‘performance-sharing introduction companies’ confirmed by MSS. Performance-sharing introduction companies receive preferential treatment in military service designated company selection evaluations and also enjoy preferential benefits in policy fund application qualifications. They can also receive 5 extra points in SME job evaluations. Furthermore, they gain additional points when applying for online export platform projects and have their SME policy fund limits increased, among many other benefits.

To be certified as an excellent user company on the welfare platform, companies must provide welfare points of at least 350,000 KRW per person to more than 30% of their employees, then submit a certification application through the ‘Apply for Welfare Platform Excellent User Company’ menu in the welfare points management section.

KCCI and MSS plan to expand the number of subscribers to 300,000, member companies to 20,000, and participating vendors to 300 by the end of this year, aiming to develop the Small and Medium Enterprise Welfare Platform into the leading brand for SME welfare malls in Korea.

The ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Welfare Platform’ is open to all domestic SMEs without any separate membership or usage fees. Registration is available via the website (welfare.korcham.net) and mobile app. For more details, contact the Small and Medium Enterprise Welfare Platform Customer Center at 1588-6555.

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