Half of the 12 Occupations Are Insurance Planners
68% of Female Subscribers Are Insurance Planners or Learning Material Instructors
Representatives of insurance planners at Samsung Life Insurance Seoul Yeongdeungpo Star Branch. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The number of special employment workers (SEWs) enrolled in employment insurance has exceeded 440,000. It has been three months since the employment insurance system for them was implemented on July 1.
On the 28th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that as of the 22nd, the number of SEWs enrolled in employment insurance across 12 industries, including insurance planners, was 441,047 (with about 29,000 workplaces). Among after-school instructors, the insured number is 68,512, but the related figures will be finalized after each level of school education office verifies total income. Including these, the number of enrollees rises to 509,559. Both SEWs and employers each pay 0.7% of income, and from July next year, the employment insurance premium rate will increase by 0.2 percentage points (p) to 0.8% each.
On this day, the Ministry of Employment and Labor disclosed detailed data on 490,868 enrollees currently employed, including after-school instructors. By occupation, insurance planners accounted for the largest share at 51.4% (252,459 people), followed by door-to-door salespersons at 7.5% (36,820 people), home tutoring instructors at 7.4% (36,582 people), and delivery drivers at 6.9% (33,903 people). By age group, the distribution was 50s (34.3%), 40s (33.5%), 30s (16.7%), 60 and above (9.5%), 20s (5.9%), and teens (0.04%).
By gender, women accounted for 68% (334,033 people), more than twice the number of men at 32% (156,835 people). This is because there are more female insurance planners and home tutoring instructors than males. By region, Seoul had the highest share at 66.7% (327,543 people), followed by Gyeonggi at 9.8%, and Busan at 4%. The concentration of enrollees in Seoul is analyzed to be due to 41.2% of the insurance planner workplaces, which make up half of the enrollees among the 12 industries, being located in Seoul.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it will extend the concentrated reporting period for insured qualifications from the end of September to the end of December, and from next month, it will receive monthly income reporting data from the National Tax Service to discover additional applicable SEWs and promote compulsory enrollment. Furthermore, from January next year, quick service workers (including delivery drivers) and designated drivers will be included as enrollees. Starting July next year, after conducting a survey on other SEW and platform occupations, preparations for additional enrollment will begin. Additionally, during next year, plans will be gradually developed to apply employment insurance to self-employed individuals who closed businesses or experienced income declines due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, on the morning of the same day, Deputy Minister Park Hwajin of the Ministry of Employment and Labor attended the opening ceremony of the Seoul SEW Center along with Kang Soonhee, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service. Since the application of employment insurance for SEWs in July, four SEW centers have opened in Seoul, Gyeongin (Incheon), Daejeon, and Busan. At the event, Deputy Minister Park emphasized, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Service will do their best together to build a robust employment safety net for all working citizens." President Kang also said, "We will concentrate all our capabilities to develop the SEW Center into the best social insurance specialized institution for SEWs and artists."
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