[Reporter’s Notebook] Banking Sector’s ‘Re-employment’ System Eases Career Interruption Concerns

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"I want to resign because there is no one to take care of my child." This is a post that appears almost daily on a mom caf? with over 3.3 million members. Quitting a job due to childcare is a common occurrence for women that can happen at any time. Although the government continues to roll out low birthrate countermeasures, clear results are not visible. Among these, the most unresolved issue is the problem of 'Gyeongdan-nyeo (career-interrupted women).'

In this situation, the recently introduced 're-employment after childcare resignation' system by the banking sector is one of the measures we should all pay close attention to. KB Kookmin Bank established the first 'conditional re-employment childcare resignation system' in the banking sector last year. This system grants employees who have taken childcare leave the opportunity to be re-employed three years after resignation. They are rehired without a separate recruitment process and return to the position they held before resignation.

Legally, childcare leave is guaranteed for up to one year per child, and banks provide up to two years, but women who still have no one to care for their children or whose circumstances do not allow it often decide to resign. Without solving this problem, it is difficult to fundamentally address the low birthrate. The fear of career interruption is one of the biggest reasons women hesitate about marriage and childbirth. By introducing the childcare resignation system, Kookmin Bank guarantees up to five years of caregiving time for employees with children. This is a solution that addresses the biggest concern of working moms with young children?childcare?and prevents career interruption.

Following Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank recently introduced a similar system and accepted applications until the end of last month. Woori Bank allows conditional re-employment childcare resignation if the remaining childcare leave period is six months or less and the child is seven years old or younger. It offers re-employment as a new experienced employee after two years and six months, guaranteeing up to four years and six months of caregiving time. Given the industry's tendency to maintain similar treatment levels, this system is likely to spread throughout the banking sector. In fact, employee response has been positive. At Kookmin Bank, 45 employees applied, and at Woori Bank, 35 did. From the banks' perspective, this helps retain skilled talent and enhances competitiveness.

Recently, criticism has poured in regarding government policies focused solely on 'raising the birthrate.' Measures such as the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee's support for meetings between unmarried men and women, or a Seoul city council member's 'National Dance Movement' combining Kegel exercises, have made the public laugh in disbelief. Low birthrate is not a problem that can be solved by measures merely focused on increasing birthrates. Especially, continuous support measures that enable 'work-family balance' must be implemented.

For this, companies must also think together and prepare countermeasures. The low birthrate crisis is connected to the number of customers in the long term from a corporate perspective and is directly related to talent acquisition. The government's role in helping companies change is also important. This is why the government and other companies should pay attention to the banking sector's proactive low birthrate countermeasures.

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