Support Amount for Flexible Work for Workers with Young Children to Double

Government Expands Support
for Work-Life Balance

The government will lower the requirements for receiving incentives even if employees work from home once a week to increase the utilization of flexible working hours. The conditions for granting incentives to pregnant workers, such as six months of continuous employment, will also be relaxed. The support amount for flexible working hours for workers with children in the childcare period will be doubled.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 13th that it will expand government support for work-life balance this year accordingly.

Provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor

The Ministry of Employment and Labor supports incentives, consulting, and infrastructure to reduce restrictions on the use of flexible working hours in small and medium-sized enterprises. This year, reflecting field opinions, the requirements will be relaxed and support amounts increased so that flexible working hours can be established as a way of working and help with balancing work and childcare.

First, to reduce the management burden on employers due to the use of flexible working hours, the ministry decided to lower the requirements for the 'Flexible Work Incentive,' which supports employers up to 300,000 KRW per month per flexible work user. From this year, incentives can be applied for even if employees use work-from-home once a week.

For workers with children aged 12 or younger or in elementary school or below, the support amount for flexible working hours will be doubled compared to general workers. When using staggered commuting hours, up to 400,000 KRW per month per worker will be provided, and when using work-from-home, remote work, or selective work, up to 600,000 KRW per month per worker will be given.

From this year, infrastructure costs for reduced working hours will also be eligible for support. The ministry is running a 'Work-Life Balance Infrastructure Support' project that supports up to 20 million KRW for infrastructure investment costs such as commuting management and security systems for small and medium-sized enterprises to introduce flexible working hours. From this year, commuting management systems for reduced working hours will also be added to the support.

The 'Work-Life Balance Job Incentive,' which supports up to 500,000 KRW per month per reduced-hour worker in workplaces utilizing reduced working hours, will also significantly relax requirements for pregnancy reasons. For pregnant workers, requirements such as electronic management of commuting times or six months or more of continuous employment for incentive payment will be excluded.

Hyun Do-in, Director of Employment Support Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "According to a survey conducted last year, 72% of companies have introduced flexible working hours to support workers' work-family balance and improve productivity and work effectiveness, and 97% responded positively to the effects of introduction," adding, "We hope that the expanded support system, reflecting field opinions, will help many companies."