"Over 95,000 Subscribers in Just One Year Since the Implementation of Employment Insurance for Artists"

132 Beneficiaries Including 109 Receiving Unemployment Benefits and 34 Receiving Maternity Benefits

Government: "Role of Employment Safety Net Amid COVID-19"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The number of subscribers to the artists' employment insurance system surpassed 95,000 just one year after its implementation.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 9th that as of the 2nd of this month, the number of artists who acquired employment insurance coverage exceeded 95,000.

When dividing artists enrolled in employment insurance by the duration of their cultural and artistic service contracts, 48,000 (50.8%) had contracts of "1 month or longer," and 47,000 (49.2%) had contracts of "less than 1 month," showing similar proportions. The fields of activity were led by entertainment (broadcast entertainment) at 28.7%, followed by music (16.4%), film (10.9%), theater (9.4%), gugak (traditional Korean music) (5.1%), and fine arts (4.4%).

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "In the early stages of implementing the artists' employment insurance system, the proportion of insured persons in performance fields such as music and gugak was relatively small due to COVID-19, but it has recently increased."

The average monthly wage of insured artists (excluding short-term artists) under employment insurance was 3.03 million KRW. Artists in the film (5.43 million KRW) and entertainment (4.39 million KRW) sectors had higher average monthly wages.

By age group, those in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 35.6%, followed by those aged 20 and under (30.2%), 40s (20.9%), 50s (10.3%), and 60s (3.1%).

The number of artists who received employment insurance benefits stood at 132 as of the end of last month (109 receiving unemployment benefits and 34 receiving maternity benefits).

The artists' employment insurance system was implemented on December 10 of last year. It is the first phase of the "universal employment insurance" policy, which expands employment insurance coverage to all workers, including special employment workers (SEWs), freelancers, and self-employed individuals.

Regarding employment insurance for SEWs, the number of subscribers reached 530,000 as of the end of last month, just five months after its implementation. Starting January 1 next year, quick service and designated driver workers will also be able to enroll in employment insurance.

Meanwhile, Minister of Employment and Labor Ahn Kyung-deok visited the National Theater in Jung-gu, Seoul, to encourage artists on the first anniversary of the artists' employment insurance implementation. Minister Ahn said, "We will strive to ensure that more artists receive employment insurance benefits in the future," and added, "We will steadily advance the universal employment insurance roadmap."

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