Ministry of Employment Extends One-Year Guidance Period for 52-Hour Workweek to Businesses with Fewer Than 30 Employees

Difficulties in High-Interest and High-Inflation Economic Conditions
Reflecting On-Site Opinions... Temporary Measures

The grace period for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adapt to the 52-hour workweek system will be extended by one year until the end of next year.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that the grace period for the 52-hour workweek system, which was applied to workplaces with fewer than 30 employees following the sunset of the '8-hour additional extended work system' at the end of last year, will be extended by one year until the end of next year.

The 8-hour additional extended work system was a transitional regulation allowing SMEs to adapt to the 52-hour workweek system. Through this, SMEs were able to have employees work up to 60 hours per week until the end of last year.

With the extension of the grace period, workplaces with fewer than 30 employees will not be subject to regular labor inspections for long working hours. Even if the working hour limits are violated, a correction period of 3 to 6 months will be granted.

However, special labor inspections conducted on companies causing social controversies and judicial procedures resulting from complaints or accusations will be carried out regardless of the grace period.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "This reflects field opinions that small-scale businesses are still struggling due to ongoing labor shortages and economic conditions such as high interest rates and high inflation," adding, "This is a temporary measure."

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