Ministry of Employment's Intensive Crackdown from May 1 to June 28
Most Frequent Change: 'Permanent to Contract' Employment
February Overall Employment Rate 61.6%... Highest Ever Recorded
Unlike recruitment advertisements, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) is set to launch a large-scale crackdown on companies that violate the Employment Procedures Act by signing labor contracts or assigning tasks unrelated to the job.
Job seekers looking at the recruitment and consultation reservation bulletin board. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 29th, the MOEL announced that it will intensively guide and inspect such 'abusive companies' from May 1 to June 28. The inspection targets include a total of 400 workplaces: 23 workplaces reported anonymously for labor contracts different from recruitment, 218 workplaces suspected of legal violations based on job portal advertisement monitoring, and 159 workplaces employing a large number of young people.
The MOEL explained that among the reported cases, the most common was changing labor contracts disadvantageously for prospective employees after posting job advertisements for regular positions, such as switching to contract positions. Regarding labor contracts different from recruitment advertisements, 23 out of 65 reports received during the concentrated anonymous reporting period (March 14 to April 13) suspected of violating the Employment Procedures Act will be selected for guidance and inspection.
The 218 cases selected through job portal advertisement monitoring involve companies suspected of requesting or collecting personal information unrelated to the job, shifting recruitment screening costs onto job seekers, or failing to fulfill obligations related to the storage, return, destruction, and notification of recruitment documents. The 159 workplaces employing many young people will be closely inspected for compliance with sanction provisions under the Employment Procedures Act and recommended provisions sensitive to youth, such as recruitment schedules, processes, and notification of hiring decisions.
Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik emphasized, "Among small and medium-sized enterprises, there are often cases where the Employment Procedures Act is not well known or properly followed. We will thoroughly inspect to ensure that young people do not experience unfair treatment during the recruitment process and can feel the changes, while expanding education and publicity to establish a fair recruitment culture."
Meanwhile, according to the 'March 2024 Employment Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 6th, the number of employed persons as of February increased by nearly 330,000 compared to the same month last year, continuing a two-month increase in the 300,000 range and raising expectations for an economic rebound. The overall employment rate in February was 61.6%, the highest ever recorded since related statistics began in July 1982.
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