For Small Businesses Without Replacement Staff
Total Payment of 1.8 Million KRW Over 6 Months
Gyeongbuk Province will, starting from the 20th, implement the 'My Workplace Colleague Credit' project for the first time, providing childcare leave work substitution allowances to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the province to alleviate the childcare burden on workers and promote the use of parental leave amid the low birthrate crisis.
The My Workplace Colleague Credit project provides financial support to colleagues who take over the duties of employees on parental leave when the company is unable to hire replacement personnel.
Gyeongbuk Province is holding a briefing session on the 'My Workplace Colleague Credit Project' for small and medium-sized enterprise representatives and HR managers.
The project targets SMEs located in Gyeongbuk Province with between 3 and fewer than 300 regular employees, providing a total of 1.8 million KRW (300,000 KRW per month for 6 months) to those substituting for employees on parental leave.
Previously, on the 28th of last month, Gyeongbuk Province held a meeting with representatives and HR managers of 14 SMEs in the province and finalized the project implementation guidelines reflecting their opinions.
This project is carried out by the Gyeongbuk Regional Saeil Center, which is commissioned and operated by the Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute (Director Ha Geum-suk). The institute has been leading efforts to realize gender-equal and happy Gyeongbuk by operating various research projects including the Saeil Center and the Gender Impact Assessment Center.
Companies wishing to participate can apply, enter into a work agreement with the Gyeongbuk Regional Saeil Center, select a work substitute, and then receive the allowance.
The work substitution allowance will be directly paid into the substitute’s personal account to motivate them, encouraging employees on parental leave to comfortably utilize the parental leave system even in SMEs.
In addition to this project, Gyeongbuk Province is pioneering and supporting nationwide first initiatives to overcome the low birthrate crisis and reduce parental childcare burdens, such as a 90% reduction in parental fees for childcare services, sick child accompaniment services, and the 119 Child Happiness Care Center.
Hwang Young-ho, Director of Women and Child Policy at Gyeongbuk Province, emphasized, “The parental leave system is one of the most important systems to overcome the low birthrate crisis and achieve work-family balance,” adding, “We hope this project will greatly help make parental leave more common in SMEs.”
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