Medium-sized business sector proposes 'Support for Securing Replacement Personnel' to Low and Mid-level Officials

On the 15th, 'Low and Mid-Level Business Meeting' Held
Conveying Support for Colleague Work Sharing Subsidy Expansion

The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector proposed to the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee support for securing replacement personnel and expansion of subsidies for sharing colleagues' workloads.

Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Korea Federation of SMEs announced on the 15th that it held a ‘Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee-SME Sector Meeting’ at the Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul. This meeting was organized to gather opinions from the SME sector regarding the government’s announced ‘Measures to Reverse the Low Birthrate Trend.’

On this day, 10 representatives from the SME sector attended, including Kim Ki-moon, Chairman of the Federation of SMEs, Yoon Mi-ok, President of the Korea Women Venture Association, and Kim Deok-jae, President of the IT Women Entrepreneurs Association. From the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee, Vice Chairman Joo Hyung-hwan and Director Ko Kwang-hee of the Low Fertility Policy Bureau were present.

The SME sector leaders attending the meeting conveyed field difficulties and requests such as support for securing replacement personnel (increasing hiring subsidies and ensuring smooth supply of replacement personnel), expansion of subsidies for sharing colleagues' workloads, improvement of excessive labor regulations on SMEs, and relaxation of criteria for allowing foreign personnel in research and development (R&D).

Vice Chairman Joo Hyung-hwan of the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee said, “The low birthrate issue is a difficult problem that cannot be solved by government efforts alone, so close cooperation and complementary roles with the SME sector are very important. We fully recognize the management concerns of SMEs regarding the introduction of work-family balance systems, and we will provide definite support to SMEs for whom the introduction of such systems is inevitably burdensome.”

Kim Ki-moon, Chairman of the Federation of SMEs, emphasized, “If the work-family balance system is strengthened, SMEs, which are chronically experiencing labor shortages, will inevitably face increased burdens. Support for SMEs needs to be strengthened because only when management can focus on their operations can they actively create an environment for work-family balance.”

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