Seven-Month Survey and Policy Research
Establishing Tailored Gyeonggi Policy Alternatives and Delivery Systems
Seeking Ways to Protect Workers' Rights
in an Era of Complex Crises Such as AI Expansion and Demographic Changes
Gyeonggi Province is working to establish a new policy paradigm to protect workers' rights amid rapidly changing labor conditions.
On June 25, Gyeonggi Province announced that it had held a kick-off briefing for the "Gyeonggi Province Workers' Rights Protection Project Development and Policy Research Service" at the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building on June 24.
This research was planned to proactively respond to the rapidly changing labor environment caused by a combination of factors, including the spread of the platform economy, advances in AI technology, responses to climate change and industrial restructuring, low birth rates, an aging population, and the influx of migrant workers.
Since 2019, Gyeonggi Province has led the way in workers' rights protection policies by establishing the nation's first Labor Bureau. However, the province has determined that the existing fragmented approach has limitations in effectively protecting the diverse workforce of Gyeonggi Province, which serves as a microcosm of the South Korean labor market.
The research will be conducted over seven months, from June 2025 to February 2026. It will analyze official statistics and administrative data, and conduct an in-depth survey of 2,500 people, including 1,000 Gyeonggi residents, to closely examine blind spots in labor protection. Through this, the province expects to develop evidence-based policies for vulnerable groups, including more than 2.2 million non-regular workers and nearly 5 million workers in businesses with fewer than five employees.
Through this research, Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen connections with national-level labor policies while also building a "Gyeonggi-style workers' rights project development model" that reflects the province's industrial characteristics and workforce composition. In addition, the province will explore ways to establish a labor administration delivery system that connects central, regional, local, and private sectors to ensure the effective implementation of proposed projects.
The research will be conducted by the Working Citizens Research Institute Union Center (Director Kim Jongjin), with a team of seven researchers, including one lead researcher, four researchers, and two research assistants.
Cho Sanggi, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Workers' Rights Division, stated, "Through this research, we will establish a sustainable foundation for labor policies that can effectively protect the rights and interests of Gyeonggi Province workers and proactively respond to the rapidly changing labor environment," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that every worker in Gyeonggi Province can work with peace of mind, with their rights and interests fully protected."
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