Couples Taking Parental Leave Together Can Receive Up to 39 Million KRW in the First 6 Months

Resolution of the State Council on the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act and Others

The expanded revision of the '6+6 Parental Leave System' to promote fathers' participation in childcare was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 19th. The key point is that when both spouses take parental leave together, they will receive a salary support of up to 4.5 million KRW for the first 6 months. If both parents use parental leave for 6 months each, the couple can receive a combined maximum of 39 million KRW.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that at the Cabinet meeting held that day, it reviewed and approved three amendments to laws under its jurisdiction, including the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act containing these details.

The Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act is a follow-up measure to the low birthrate countermeasures announced at the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee chaired by the President in March this year. By strengthening income support during parental leave to promote fathers' participation in childcare and to spread a culture of shared parenting, the current '3+3 Parental Leave System' is expanded and revised to the '6+6 Parental Leave System.' When parents use parental leave simultaneously or sequentially within 18 months after the child's birth, each parent's parental leave pay for the first 6 months (previously 3 months) will be supported at 100% of the ordinary wage (previously 80%), up to a maximum of 4.5 million KRW. The monthly amounts increase as follows: 2 million KRW (1 month) → 2.5 million KRW (2 months) → 3 million KRW (3 months) → 3.5 million KRW (4 months) → 4 million KRW (5 months) → 4.5 million KRW (6 months). If both parents use parental leave for 6 months each, the couple can receive a combined maximum of 39 million KRW.

Currently, job seekers receiving unemployment benefits who find reemployment before half of the prescribed benefit period has elapsed and maintain employment for more than 12 months receive 50% of the remaining unemployment benefits as an early reemployment allowance. However, going forward, for job seekers aged 65 or older, the early reemployment allowance will be paid upon reemployment if it is recognized that they will maintain employment continuously for more than 6 months.

Additionally, the amendment to the Employment Security Act passed at the Cabinet meeting includes transferring the authority related to registration and reporting of overseas paid and unpaid employment agencies to local governments. This is part of the central government authority decentralization tasks announced at the Central-Local Cooperation Meeting chaired by the President in February this year. Previously, those who wished to operate employment agencies had to register or report to the local government in charge of the place where the worker sought employment domestically, and to the Minister of Employment and Labor for overseas cases. This amendment unifies the management authority.

The amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Collection of Employment Insurance and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Premiums was also approved at the Cabinet meeting. To ease the burden of insurance premiums on companies, when the employment stability and vocational competency development premium rates increase to a higher rate due to company growth such as employment increase, the existing rates will be applied for three years from the year following the occurrence of such reasons.

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