Labor Shortage Due to COVID-19 Spread... Ministry of Employment and Labor Says "Special Overtime Work Can Be Utilized"

On the 25th, medical staff are guiding citizens at the temporary COVID-19 screening site in front of Seoul City Hall. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The Ministry of Employment and Labor recently announced on the 25th that in the situation where the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, if some employees are confirmed with COVID-19 and the workforce decreases, companies can utilize the special extended working hours system.

Currently, special extended working hours are possible when the workload has significantly increased compared to normal circumstances. The special extended working hours system allows workers to work beyond 52 hours per week with the consent of the workers and approval from the Minister of Employment and Labor in cases of special circumstances such as disasters, protection of human life, emergency situation management, sudden surge in workload, or research and development.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor recognizes a significant increase in workload as a valid reason when the number of workers decreases due to illness or injury and it is difficult to replace personnel.

Although prior consent from workers and approval from the Minister of Employment and Labor are required for special extended working hours, in urgent situations, the minister’s approval can be substituted with post-approval.

When receiving post-approval, an application must be submitted to the local labor office within 7 days from the start date of the special extended working hours.

The Ministry explained that companies facing difficulties in production activities due to the spread of COVID-19 can utilize special extended working hours, and in such cases, employers must simultaneously implement measures to protect workers’ health.

With this measure, even if a large number of employees in a company are confirmed with COVID-19, the active use of special extended working hours is possible, which is expected to somewhat reduce the workload burden on companies.

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