"Japan's Flexible Working Hours Are Better Than Korea's"

An analysis has emerged showing that Japan's policies related to working hours are set much more flexibly than the reform plans being promoted by the Korean government.

On the 1st, Kim Myung-jung, Senior Researcher at Japan's Nissei Basic Research Institute, expressed this view in a report titled 'Wage & HR Research 2023 Second Half Issue' published by the Korea Employers Federation. Senior Researcher Kim said, "Japan's overtime work limits are much more flexible than the working hour reform plans currently under review by the Korean government," adding, "If the Korean government refers to Japan's institutional changes and corporate responses when promoting labor reforms, it could reduce the time loss in implementing the system."

The overtime work limits in Japan, as revealed in the report, are 100 hours per month, an average of 80 hours per month over 2 to 6 months, and 720 hours per year. Additionally, if special circumstances require exceeding these limits, overtime work is allowed for a certain period under special provisions. However, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with relatively poor working conditions, overtime work is restricted to not exceed 720 hours annually even if labor and management agree.

The Korean government's proposed total management plan for extended working hours is 52 hours per month, 140 hours per quarter, 250 hours per half-year, and 440 hours per year. The current plan limits overtime to 12 hours per week.

Since 2019, the Japanese government has been promoting various changes to working hour systems to reform work styles. Starting with setting limits on overtime hours, they extended the calculation period of the 'Flex Time System (Selective Working Hours System),' which allows employees to autonomously set their commuting times, from the existing 1 month to 3 months. They also introduced the 'Work Interval System,' which ensures a certain rest period between shifts if overtime was worked the previous day.

However, Senior Researcher Kim pointed out that although working conditions can be said to have improved in terms of reduced working hours in Japan, disparities between large corporations and SMEs, as well as between regular and non-regular workers, still exist. He said, "Even with various policies implemented, gaps in system implementation may occur depending on companies' response capabilities," adding, "Korea also needs to implement the system gradually over time, considering companies' adaptability."