[2020 Women Index] POSCO, 20% Female Workforce Highest in Industry

At the 5th Asia Women Index Awards Ceremony, POSCO received the Minister of Employment and Labor Award. Kwon Ki-seop, Director General of Employment Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor (left), presented the award.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] At the 5th Asia Women Index Awards ceremony, POSCO, which received the Minister of Employment and Labor Award, stood out in the female managers and executives category.

Due to the characteristics of the steel industry, employment was male-centered in the past, but since the 1990s, the hiring of female workers has steadily increased. Applications are accepted regardless of gender across all work areas, from management such as finance, purchasing, and human resources to technical research and development (R&D) and field engineers. In the past five years, the proportion of female employees among university graduates hired has been about 20%, the highest level compared to other industries.

The number of female executives in the entire POSCO Group reached a record high of 10 in 2018, and POSCO itself is expanding the number to 3 this year. Although there are some difficulties in nurturing female managers due to the characteristics of the industry and majors, efforts are ongoing to improve this. Notably, this year, the first female executive from a steel mill was appointed. Executive Director Kim Hee joined as the first female university graduate hired in the 1990s, is an engineer by background, served as the first female plant manager at Gwangyang Steelworks in 2010, and was appointed as the head of the Steel Production Planning Group. POSCO also operates a 'communication channel for sharing information and networking among female employees.'

POSCO grants the average rank score for the year even when employees use parental leave, telecommuting, or reduced working hours. Additionally, it compensates by adjusting the next year's salary upward to minimize disadvantages in promotion or evaluation when using these systems. The company added one year at its discretion to the legally mandated one-year parental leave per child.

This year, POSCO sequentially implemented a work-from-home system during childcare without career interruption (July) and a work-from-home system for family care during pregnancy (September) to prevent career gaps that may arise due to pregnancy or childcare.

Regarding parental leave, POSCO fosters an atmosphere where it can be freely used regardless of gender. The percentage of male employees applying for parental leave increased annually from 17.5% in 2017 to 48.5% last year.

Employees with children in grades 1 to 6 of elementary school can receive scholarships of up to 100,000 KRW per child annually. Vacation support funds are provided based on the use of annual leave, and if leave is insufficient, from next year, the system will be improved to allow employees to convert the support funds into leave according to their choice. 'Spouse accompanied