Notification of Disqualification and Nonpayment of Physical Examination Fees
341 Cases Detected at 220 Workplaces in the First Half of This Year
Companies that violated procedures during the hiring process, such as asking about family relationships or physical conditions unrelated to the job and failing to notify unsuccessful candidates of the results, were massively exposed.
On the 21st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor inspected 629 places including online job postings in the first half of this year, workplaces employing many young people, and construction sites, revealing 341 cases of unfair hiring practices at 220 workplaces.
Candidates are lining up to enter the interview room for new employees at a public institution held at COEX in Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan
The Ministry of Employment and Labor took measures against the violations, including imposing fines (42 cases), issuing corrective orders (30 cases), and recommending improvements (269 cases).
Reflecting the fact from the Korea Labor Panel survey that 47.7% of young people search for jobs online, the ministry focused on inspecting online job portal postings. As a result, Medical Foundation A required applicants to fill in their physical conditions and the occupations and positions of their immediate family members on their resume form, and transportation company B required applicants to attach resident registration certificates and family relation certificates as part of the hiring documents, thereby verifying their place of origin and marital status.
According to Article 4, Clause 3 of the Hiring Procedures Act, employers cannot request or require job seekers to provide personal information that is not necessary for job performance, nor collect supporting documents. Violations are subject to fines of up to 5 million KRW.
Additionally, Company C was found to have made 42 job seekers bear the cost of pre-employment physical examinations and was ordered to refund these costs. Failure to comply is subject to fines of up to 3 million KRW.
Many companies were also found to have failed to notify applicants about the return of hiring documents or to have kept them beyond the retention period (maximum 180 days). Credit Union D specified in its job posting that submitted documents would not be returned at all and did not inform applicants of their right to request the return of documents or the retention period. Company E was caught storing the hiring documents of dozens of rejected applicants, and Cooperative F made applicants bear the cost of returning documents.
Under the Hiring Procedures Act, employers must notify job seekers of their hiring status immediately upon finalizing the hiring decision. Many workplaces only informed successful candidates of the results and did not notify unsuccessful candidates; however, since there is no separate penalty provision, only 45 recommendations for improvement were made.
Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik stated, "It is urgent to ensure the effectiveness of compliance obligations that are not properly enforced in the field," and added, "We will support the spread of youth-friendly hiring practices through a comprehensive revision of the Fair Hiring Act."
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