Starting Tomorrow, Special Employment Insurance Applies... Unemployment Benefits Provided if Job Lost

12 Occupations Including Delivery Workers... Special Employment Workers and Employers Share Insurance Premiums Equally

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] From the 1st of next month, employment insurance will also be applied to 12 special employment types (teukgo) including delivery workers. The insurance premium rate is 1.4%, with teukgo and employers each bearing half of the cost.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 30th that the revised Employment Insurance Act will be applied from the 1st of next month, and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service will handle the application of employment insurance for teukgo and the registration of insured qualifications.

Employment insurance will be applied to 12 occupations including insurance planners, visiting instructors for learning materials, and delivery workers. If the monthly remuneration under the labor provision contract is less than 800,000 KRW, the individual is excluded from employment insurance coverage. However, starting January next year, teukgo who have signed two or more labor provision contracts can apply to combine their monthly remuneration, and if the total amount is 800,000 KRW or more, employment insurance coverage is possible.

The revision sets the insurance premium rate at 1.4%, lower than the 1.6% for employees, considering that teukgo are not eligible for parental leave benefits. Teukgo and employers will each pay 0.7%. The premium ceiling will be within 10 times the average subscriber amount, with the specific ceiling amount to be determined by official notice.

Teukgo enrolled in employment insurance can receive job-seeking benefits if they meet conditions such as involuntary unemployment. Payment eligibility requires having paid premiums for at least 12 months out of the 24 months prior to the date of job separation.

Teukgo who leave their job due to income reduction can also receive job-seeking benefits. However, conditions such as a 30% or more decrease in remuneration in the three months prior to the month of separation compared to the same period last year must be met. The daily maximum amount of job-seeking benefits for teukgo is 66,000 KRW, the same as for employees.

Teukgo subscribers can receive pre- and postnatal benefits amounting to 100% of their average monthly remuneration for three months if they meet requirements such as having been insured for at least three months prior to childbirth and having an insured period of one year immediately before the childbirth date.

The reasons for applying for exclusion from industrial accident insurance coverage for teukgo are also restricted. This is a measure to prevent teukgo from applying for exclusion due to implicit coercion by employers. Applications for exclusion from industrial accident insurance coverage can only be made in cases of one month or more leave due to illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, or one month or more leave due to employer’s fault.

Considering that restricting teukgo’s applications for exclusion from industrial accident insurance coverage may increase employers’ insurance premium burden, insurance premiums for high-risk and low-income occupations will be temporarily reduced by up to 50%. The target occupations and reduction levels will be determined by official notice.

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