Gyeonggi-do to Introduce '4.5-Day Workweek' Next Year... "Shortened Working Hours Without Wage Reduction"

Province to Hold Public Hearing at Gyeonggi Comprehensive Labor Welfare Center on October 2
Provincial Assembly Members and Experts Gather to Collect Diverse Opinions on 'Working Hours Reduction'
Exploring Policy Directions Through Successful Cases of Companies Implementing the Measure

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office building.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced that a pilot program for a '4.5-day workweek without wage cuts' will be introduced next year to reduce working hours, and a forum for gathering opinions on this will be held.

On the 30th, Gyeonggi Province stated that on October 2nd at 3 PM, a public hearing titled "Gyeonggi Province 4.5-Day Workweek Public Hearing for Practicing Human-Centered Economy Humonomics" will be held at the Gyeonggi Comprehensive Labor Welfare Center, where Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly members, related experts, and company representatives will discuss various opinions related to reducing working hours.

At the public hearing, Geum Cheol-wan, Director of the Labor Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, will present the background and implementation plan for introducing the 4.5-day workweek in Gyeonggi Province, and Kim Jong-jin, Director of the Working Citizens Research Institute, will present domestic and international cases of working hour reduction and the current working conditions in Korea.

Additionally, Lee Dae-hoon, CEO of CoAd Co., Ltd., will share experiences of introducing the 4-day workweek since 2019, introducing the practical effects and challenges in the manufacturing field. CoAd is a total automatic door solution company located in Hwaseong and was the first domestic manufacturer to introduce the 4-day workweek.

Discussion panelists at the public hearing will include Lee Soon-gap, Education Director of the Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Kim Jin-woo, Executive Director of the Gyeonggi Employers Federation; Park Woo-ram, Professor of Economics at Sookmyung Women’s University; and Lee Yong-gwan, Research Fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, who will share diverse opinions on the feasibility and introduction of reduced working hours.

Oh Hu-seok, Deputy Governor for Administration, said, "Interest in reducing working hours is increasing as a way to expand work-life balance and address the low birthrate issue," adding, "Through Gyeonggi Province’s policy experiment, we will review the validity and social acceptability of introducing the 4.5-day workweek and build consensus during the discussion process."

This public hearing is open to all Gyeonggi residents and will be broadcast live on the Gyeonggi Provincial Government’s YouTube channel.