Parental Leave Allowed During Pregnancy... Apply at Least 7 Days in Advance if Miscarriage Risk Detected

Approval of the Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act for Men and Women and Other Matters at the Cabinet Meeting

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Pregnant workers can now take parental leave.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 16th that it reviewed and approved the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the "Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support" (Gender Equality Employment Act) at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office.

With the amendment to the law, starting from the 19th, pregnant workers will be able to take parental leave, and the government has stipulated specific application procedures. The application form must include the expected date of childbirth. Generally, applications should be submitted at least 30 days before the planned start date of the leave, but if there is a possibility of miscarriage or stillbirth, applications can be submitted up to 7 days in advance.

The amendment to the Enforcement Decree also set the criteria for fines imposed if corrective orders from the Labor Relations Commission related to workplace sexual harassment or gender discrimination are not complied with.

At the Cabinet meeting, the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the establishment of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Designation of Essential Work and Protection and Support of Workers were also reviewed and approved.

With the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, five new occupations were added to the scope of special employment workers (SEWs) protected under this law: door-to-door salespersons, on-site inspectors, home appliance repair technicians, freight truck owners, and software engineers. The number of SEW occupations covered by the Industrial Safety and Health Act increased from 9 to 14.

The establishment of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Designation of Essential Work and Protection and Support of Workers requires the Minister of Employment to establish the scope and support plans for essential work and its workers necessary to protect the public and maintain social functions in the event of a large-scale disaster.

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