KCCI: "Low R&D Overtime Due to Complex Procedures... Need for Flexibility"

The Korea Employers Federation stated on the 17th that "the low number of special extended work hour approval applications in the research and development (R&D) sector is due to the complicated procedures and short approval periods, making it difficult to utilize in the field." This was a rebuttal to the earlier claim by Park Hong-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who argued that the cause was misdiagnosed when he said that 'R&D extended work hour applications account for only 0.4% of the total.'

The Federation explained, "(In the R&D sector) there are many unexpected situations making prior prediction impossible, and most development tasks are carried out in continuous stages rather than a single step, so it is difficult to apply for approval for each stage individually," adding, "Due to the government's strict review, short approval periods, and the need to obtain worker consent and Ministry of Employment approval each time, companies find it difficult to actively utilize the system."

As the semiconductor industry crisis emerges, some point to rigid work hour management methods as the cause. Accordingly, there have been calls to create special laws or other measures to allow flexible work hour systems in the R&D sector. The suggestion is to introduce special provisions to ease the requirements for extended work hour approvals or to extend the approval periods.

The Federation stated, "In the era of global competition, to enable companies to respond swiftly, creativity and autonomy in task execution must be guaranteed," and argued, "The Labor Standards Act should be amended to allow flexible work hour systems not only in semiconductors but also in all industries for research and development and professional occupations."