Subsidies for Rewarding Colleagues Who Support Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period

Three Legislative Bills Including the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act Passed at the Cabinet Meeting

Companies supporting work-sharing payments due to reduced working hours during childcare periods will be able to apply for government subsidies starting from the 1st of next month. The hours eligible for receiving 100% of the ordinary wage during reduced working hours for childcare will also be expanded to the first 10 hours per week.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 18th that the 'Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act' and the 'Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Collection of Insurance Premiums for Employment Insurance and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance,' among others, were reviewed and approved at the Cabinet meeting held on the same day.

Starting from the 1st of next month, the childcare period reduced work-sharing support payment system will be implemented. The reduced working hours system during childcare is designed to allow workers who find it practically difficult to stop working for a certain period, like taking childcare leave, to maintain their employment by reducing their working hours.

Currently, the childcare period reduced working hours allowance, which compensates the income of workers who reduce their working hours due to childcare, will expand the 100% ordinary wage support range from the first 5 hours per week to 10 hours per week.

Additionally, if agricultural and fishery workers in workplaces with four or fewer employees wish to enroll in employment insurance, they can do so individually without the consent of the majority. Also, agricultural and fishery business owners registered as agricultural and fishery management entities will be able to join employment insurance for self-employed persons by easing the requirements, thereby enhancing the choice of employment insurance enrollment for those engaged in agriculture and fisheries.

On the same day, a partial amendment to the 'Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act' was also passed. Following the fatal accident caused by entrapment in an SPL food mixer in October 2022, the decree was revised to include mixers, crushers, and grinders in the safety inspection targets to verify the safety of machinery and prevent similar accidents.

Due to the revision of the Korean Standard Industrial Classification, online video services (OTT) and music/audio streaming services, currently classified under 'Information Service Industry,' have been reclassified under 'Broadcasting and Video/Audio Provision Services (middle category)' specifically under 'Video/Audio Provision Services (sub-category).' Accordingly, unlike the 'Broadcasting Industry,' the scope of application under the Industrial Safety and Health Act for the 'Video/Audio Provision Services Industry,' which has fewer hazardous risk factors, was revised to maintain the current level, preventing unnecessary regulations in advance.

Furthermore, the practical experience recognition criteria for personnel standards of safety inspection agencies now include the fields of safety management and safety diagnosis to improve the efficiency of safety inspection work. The limit on the number of special health examinations that doctors at special health examination institutions can conduct annually now includes pre-placement health examinations, and the limit has been expanded from 10,000 to 13,000 people.

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