200 Million Workers in Flexible Work System Era... Employment Minister Says "Efficiency Over Long Working Hours"

Ministry of Employment to Hold the 6th Work-Life Balance Conference on the 26th

Minister of Employment and Labor, An Kyung-duk. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] With more than 2 million workers utilizing 'flexible work arrangements' such as telecommuting, remote work, and staggered working hours, Employment and Labor Minister An Kyung-duk emphasized on the 26th that "efficient work is more important than long working hours." As the establishment of the '52-hour workweek system' has emerged as a pressing issue, the government held a flexible work conference to deliver this message.

Minister An made these remarks while attending the '6th Work-Life Balance Conference' hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor at Ferrum Tower in Seoul. Sixteen companies, including Eduwill Co., Ltd., were selected as excellent companies in the '2021 Work-Life Balance Best Practices Contest.' Twenty-four companies, such as the internet service provider One Store, were chosen as '2021 Work-Life Balance Practice Companies' based on employee evaluations conducted jointly by the Ministry and Job Planet. Additionally, 107 companies that voluntarily operated 'Work Innovation Incentive Programs' were recognized as excellent companies.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, as of August, 1.14 million workers were utilizing telecommuting and remote work systems, and 1.055 million workers were using staggered working hours. The percentage of workers wishing to adopt flexible work arrangements in the future reached 42.8%, and the number of parental leave takers increased from 105,000 in 2019 to 112,000 last year.

Minister An stated, "The wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution is transforming our lives, making creative and efficient work methods necessary rather than long working hours," and emphasized, "The belief that flexible work arrangements contribute to attracting excellent talent, long-term employment, and job satisfaction must spread among companies through exemplary cases." He added, "The government will carefully address field difficulties and spare no effort in policy to realize a work-life balance culture."

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