Direct Employment, Customized Positions, and Remote Work: Coupang Exceeds Mandatory Disability Employment Rate

Disability Employment Rate Reaches 3.64%
Exceeds Private Company Standard for 50 or More Employees

Coupang announced on April 20 that it has exceeded the mandatory employment rate for people with disabilities required of private companies.

According to Coupang, the company achieved the mandatory employment rate of 3.1% for the first time since its founding in October last year, and recently recorded a disability employment rate of 3.64%. Under the Act on Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons, private companies with 50 or more regular employees are required to employ people with disabilities at a rate of at least 3.1% of their total workforce.

Disabled employees in charge of collecting and washing shared cups at Coupang’s Seolleung office are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Coupang

Coupang attributes its success in meeting the mandatory employment rate for people with disabilities to three key factors: developing a variety of job positions through direct employment, assigning work that goes beyond simple labor, and alleviating commuting inconveniences by promoting remote work. Unlike many companies that hire people with disabilities through separate legal entities such as subsidiary-type standard workplaces, Coupang adheres to a principle of 100% direct employment.

The company has also developed a range of positions that allow employees with disabilities to gain a sense of accomplishment and increase productivity. A prime example is the e-sports position, which is physically less demanding and well-suited for talented employees with disabilities. As a result of building a recruitment system in cooperation with relevant organizations, the size of the e-sports team expanded significantly from 10 members in 2024 to 80 members in just over a year. At the National E-sports Competition for the Disabled held last year, Coupang employees with disabilities won a total of 17 medals, including 8 gold medals. The number of employees responsible for collecting and managing health screening data, supporting HR, and assisting sellers has also increased.

The expansion of remote and non-face-to-face work has not only solved commuting difficulties for employees with disabilities, but also broadened diversity in hiring regardless of age, place of residence, or type of disability. As a result, Coupang now employs people with 14 out of the 15 legally recognized types of disabilities. Many employees with disabilities, including those in office positions and the e-sports team, are working fully remotely, with staff ranging in age from 18 to 71. To support this system, Coupang uniquely operates an “Inclusive Management Team” dedicated to the recruitment and HR management of employees with disabilities, a first in the retail industry.

A Coupang representative stated, “We will continue to discover diverse job positions for people with disabilities and expand flexible working environments,” adding, “Through these efforts, we will enable more people with disabilities to fully demonstrate their abilities at Coupang.”

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