"Less Theory, More Practice"... Labor Inspector Training to Be Completely Overhauled

Aiming for Inspectors to Handle Cases Independently from Start to Finish

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is completely overhauling its training program for new labor inspectors in response to the large-scale increase in inspector numbers and changes in the investigative system.

On April 23, the Ministry held the "New Supervisor Education Innovation Public Presentation" at Seoul Community Masil, where it unveiled a newly redesigned training curriculum focused on practical skills. This reform is aimed at producing personnel who can be immediately deployed to the field, in response to the delegation of supervisory authority to local governments and the need to strengthen independent investigative capabilities.

The government plans to increase the number of labor inspectors from 3,000 to 8,000 by 2028. In addition, with the enforcement of the “Labor Inspector Duty Execution Act” scheduled for December this year, the government will delegate workplace supervision authority to local governments. As a result, securing the investigative expertise and on-site response capabilities of individual inspectors has emerged as a key task.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor (center), is observing a lecture demonstration at the Ministry of Employment and Labor's "New Inspector Educational Innovation Public Presentation" held on the 23rd at the Seoul Community Masil. Ministry of Employment and Labor

The previous training program was theory-oriented, which meant that it took a long time for new inspectors to handle cases independently, and there were significant disparities in individual competence. To address this, the Ministry has completely redesigned the training system with the goal of “developing inspectors who can manage cases independently from beginning to end.”

The core of this reform is a “practical training” program based on real cases. In February, the Ministry formed a Labor Inspector Competency Enhancement Task Force (TF), analyzed 3.16 million reported cases from 2017 to 2025, and identified eight key case types, including wage arrears and workplace harassment. The Ministry then developed standard workflows and decision-making criteria for each type, encompassing the entire process from case receipt and investigation to action and closure.

New inspectors will take a step-by-step training program through a Basic School and an Investigation School. At the Basic School, they will learn theoretical knowledge and case-handling structures for each type of case, while at the Investigation School, they will repeatedly handle simulated cases based on scenarios, training to manage cases independently from start to finish. This is designed to ensure that, immediately after field deployment, inspectors have the ability to independently handle standard cases. In addition, a new curriculum has been introduced to reinforce the mission and identity of the inspectors’ role in protecting labor rights.

Meanwhile, in a video congratulatory message on the same day, Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Jooyoung and Park Hongbae agreed on the need to establish a dedicated training institution for labor inspectors and pledged institutional support, including budget assistance.

Minister Kim Younghoon stated, "The success of supervisory innovation depends on the capabilities of each and every inspector shaped through training," and added, "We will actively pursue the establishment of a professional training institution for labor inspectors to further strengthen their expertise."

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