Public Institutions under the Ministry of Employment and Labor Record Zero Usage of Family Care Leave

Korea Job World, 0% Usage Rate in the Last 3 Years
Some Other Institutions Also Show Single-Digit Rates

As the government strives to expand work-family balance, it has been revealed that the related system, family care leave, is not being properly utilized even in public institutions under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the main department in charge.

According to the usage status of family care leave in 12 public institutions under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, received by Kim Tae-seon, a member of the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, from 2022 to this year, four institutions including Korea Job World, Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, Korea Employment Information Service, and Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association had single-digit usage rates.

Family care leave is a leave used by workers when urgent care is needed due to illness, accident, old age, or child-rearing of family members such as parents, grandparents, spouses, or children. It can be used in units of days for up to 10 days per year.

In the case of Korea Job World, the family care leave usage rate was only 0% in 2022, last year, and this year (as of June). Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency showed a 0% usage rate in 2022, 4.7% last year, and again recorded a 0% usage rate as of June this year.

Korea Employment Information Service's usage rate was 0.4% in 2022, 3% last year, and dropped to 0.8% as of June this year. The Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association also rose from 2% in 2022 to 3% last year but remained at 1% as of June this year.

Other institutions such as the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (26.8%), Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (19.9%), Human Resources Development Service of Korea (19%), and Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled (20.5%) recorded usage rates around 20% last year.

Assemblyman Kim said, "Public institutions under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, which should take the lead in work-family balance, are not properly implementing the legally mandated family care leave," adding, "Instead of merely voicing concerns about overcoming low birth rates, a culture of free use of family care leave should be established starting from public institutions."