Gwangju City Recruiting Workplaces for '10 AM Start System'... Expanding to 500 Cases

800,000 Won Incentive for Small Businesses Over Two Months
Leading Model for Low Birth Rate Solution Expands Nationwide

Poster for "10 AM Start Time" for Elementary School Parents Who Are Office Workers. Provided by Gwangju City

"We take responsibility for one hour in the lives of working parents of elementary school students."

The city of Gwangju announced on the 6th that it is recruiting workplaces to participate in the "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents," a policy often called the "Late Arrival Incentive," which allows parents to adjust their start or end time by one hour.

The "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents Incentive Program for Small and Medium-sized Businesses" provides incentives to workplaces with fewer than 300 employees that introduce a 10 AM start system to help relieve the childcare burden of employees who are parents of elementary school students.

Parents working at small and medium-sized enterprises in the region can reduce their working hours by one hour for up to two months without any wage reduction. For example, they can shift their start time from 9 AM to 10 AM, or leave work earlier, from 6 PM to 5 PM.

The "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents" policy is gaining popularity because it allows parents to shorten their work hours by one hour without any wage reduction, and it imposes no burden on employers or colleagues. Additionally, families with multiple children can use the benefit for each child, which increases satisfaction.

First implemented nationwide by the city, the "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents" policy has been recognized as a leading model for addressing low birth rates and has significantly contributed to employment retention and easing the childcare burden for workers. Gyeongsangbuk-do has also implemented the policy since last year.

This year, the city has expanded both the number of incentives and the amount of support for small and medium-sized businesses participating in the 10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents program. The number of supported cases has increased to 500 from 300 last year, and the monthly incentive per case has been raised from 374,000 won to 400,000 won.

Eligibility is limited to small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 300 employees enrolled in employment insurance, registered as corporations or business entities in Gwangju. Any regular, contract, or substitute employee can apply as long as they are full-time workers. Parents must reside in Gwangju, and their children must attend an elementary school in Gwangju. Both mothers and fathers can apply, and if they work at different workplaces, they can receive support simultaneously.

Selected workplaces will receive an incentive of 800,000 won after complying with the adjusted start time for two months and submitting supporting documents.

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through the Gwangju i-Kium platform starting at 2 PM on the 21st. For more details, visit the Gwangju city website or the Gwangju Work-Family Balance Support Center website, or contact the Working Mom Support Team at the center.

Yoon Geonyeol, head of the Work-Family Balance Support Center, said, "Thanks to citizens' support, we have expanded the 10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents policy, which was recognized as the best solution for addressing low birth rates, to 500 cases. We hope this policy will satisfy both employers, through family-friendly management, and employees, by alleviating the burden of childcare during these challenging times."

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