[Exclusive] Another 1.5 Million Won Disaster Relief Fund for Delivery Workers and Study Material Teachers... Restaurant Assistants Also Under Consideration

Consideration for Restaurant Assistants and Childcare Workers
4th Disaster Relief Fund Expected to be 'At Least 20 Trillion Won'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Jang Sehee and Moon Chaeseok] The Democratic Party of Korea and the government have decided to include special employment workers (teukgo) such as delivery drivers and private tutor teachers in the recipients of the 4th round of disaster relief funds. This decision reflects the reality of the unstable employment of teukgo workers until the employment insurance is applied in July. The party and government are also considering including vulnerable groups such as restaurant assistants and child caregivers in addition to self-employed and teukgo workers. It is expected that the scale of the 4th disaster relief fund will exceed 20 trillion won.

A senior government official said on the 17th, "From July this year, teukgo workers will start to be covered by employment insurance," adding, "There is a need to fill the gap until then, so it was decided to provide an additional three months of emergency employment stabilization support funds."

The payment amount is expected to be around 500,000 won per month, similar to the 3rd disaster relief fund. Accordingly, workers in 11 industries including insurance planners, credit card and loan solicitors, private tutor teachers, visiting teachers, delivery drivers, rental product inspection workers, home appliance delivery drivers, door-to-door salespeople, container truck owners, construction machinery workers, and after-school instructors will receive emergency employment stabilization support funds of 500,000 won plus α per person per month until June.

President Moon Jae-in also instructed at the Cabinet meeting the day before, "Through the 3rd disaster relief fund, we provided livelihood support with the Small Business Support Fund and income stabilization support for teukgo, freelancers, and corporate taxi drivers with emergency employment stabilization support funds," and "Prepare additional support measures for vulnerable groups in the payment of the 4th disaster relief fund."

Although they will gradually be covered by employment insurance from July this year, it is expected to take at least one year before they actually receive insurance benefits. To receive unemployment benefits, teukgo workers must have paid insurance premiums for at least 12 months out of the 24 months immediately before losing their job, so in reality, there will be no benefits this year. A government official said, "No additional measures are currently being considered for the gap period between the application of employment insurance and receiving unemployment benefits."

In addition, the party and government are considering additional support for temporary jobs such as restaurant assistants and child care service workers. These workers are not covered by industrial accident insurance and were excluded from the government's employment insurance roadmap at the end of last year.

Professor Park Youngbeom of Hansung University’s Department of Economics explained, "It is appropriate to provide cash support to teukgo workers who have suffered significant damage," and "Some of the difficulties in livelihood caused by COVID-19 should be partially covered by fiscal measures."

As the party and government add more recipients for the disaster relief funds, the fiscal scale is also expected to increase. When the government provided the 3rd disaster relief fund last month, it invested a total of 375 billion won in fiscal resources under the name of 'emergency employment stabilization support funds' to a total of 700,000 people (existing 650,000 people received 500,000 won, and 50,000 new people received 1 million won).

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jongmin appeared on a radio broadcast that day and mentioned affected groups such as businesses under gathering bans and teukgo workers, saying, "At least 20 trillion won or more is needed."