Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups Listens to Labor Issues and Difficulties of Small and Venture Businesses

Communication with the Game and Software Industry

Minister Lee Young

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Lee Young, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) announced that Minister Lee Young held a meeting with representatives of small and venture companies in the game and software sectors on the 26th at the Startup Zone of the Gyeonggi Creative Economy Innovation Center.

This meeting was organized to listen to field opinions and reflect them in support policies as manpower shortages in small and venture companies have intensified recently due to the 52-hour workweek system and wage increases.

According to the 'Perception Survey on the Software (SW) Labor Market in Small and Venture Companies' conducted by the Ministry in April, 63% of domestic venture companies responded that it is 'difficult' to secure personnel in the SW field.

At the meeting, Minister Lee said, "I am aware that the 52-hour workweek system has been uniformly introduced across all industries without considering the characteristics of jobs and sectors, causing difficulties in the field," and added, "It is necessary to establish a system that allows flexible adjustment and utilization of working hours according to industrial characteristics to protect workers' health rights while not hindering business management."

Minister Lee also added, "The government plans to expand the supply of personnel training in digital fields such as SW and IT to resolve manpower shortages in related industries."

The Ministry plans to review the issues discussed at the meeting, work to resolve difficulties through consultations with related ministries such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and continue to expand communication with companies in the future.

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