"Part-Time Recruitment Public Officials System Should Be Abolished"... Forum to Be Held at National Assembly on September 5

"The Failed System Must Be Changed by the Current Administration"
77.7% of Local Government HR Departments "Hope for Abolition" in Survey
Co-hosted by Lawmakers Park Junghyun, Lee Haesik, Yong Hyein, and Jeong Chunsaeng

The National Part-Time Public Officials Labor Union (Chairperson Jung Sunghye, hereafter referred to as the Part-Time Workers' Union) will hold a National Assembly forum titled "Abolition of the Failed Part-Time Recruitment Public Officials System" at 2:00 p.m. on September 5 in the Second Small Conference Room of the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

The part-time recruitment public officials system was introduced in 2013 by the Park Geun-hye administration under the banners of "work-family balance" and "prevention of career breaks for women." However, discussions about abolishing the system have recently intensified.

National Part-Time Public Officials Labor Union Website.

The system has revealed various side effects, such as "short working hours," "difficulty in assigning positions," and "decline in the quality of administrative services." Furthermore, there is widespread dissatisfaction in the field, as many part-time officials are required to handle workloads equivalent to full-time positions but face disadvantages in wages and promotions, leading to the perception that the system is "part-time in name only."

There are also numerous statistics that encapsulate the failure of the system itself. In a survey conducted in February of this year targeting HR departments of 220 local governments nationwide, 77.7% (171 institutions) responded that they "hope for the abolition of the system." This is an increase from last year's 72.97%, indicating that awareness of the issues on the ground is growing.

As for the reasons for hoping for abolition, 69.0% (152 institutions) cited "difficulty in covering short working hours," and 55.9% (123 institutions) pointed to "challenges in assigning positions" (multiple responses allowed). Respondents also complained that "continuity of work is compromised, and urgent or complex tasks may be interrupted."

In a separate survey of HR departments in central government agencies conducted in April, 60.4% (29 institutions) expressed support for abolition. The main reasons cited included performing the same duties as full-time employees, reduced continuity of work, and personnel difficulties such as position assignments and promotions.

Part-time public officials themselves also expressed dissatisfaction in a survey conducted last month (targeting 1,095 respondents): 63.2% reported being "very dissatisfied or dissatisfied," and 91.4% said "there is no distinction between part-time and full-time duties." In fact, 80.6% of respondents stated they were "working overtime," and among them, 54.5% reported "more than 21 hours of overtime per month on average."

In workplaces where the principle of "equal pay for equal work" has been undermined, up to 70% of respondents considered resigning. One official said, "I applied for part-time work due to childcare, but I am assigned the same duties as full-time employees, with lower pay and little prospect for promotion."

This forum is co-hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Junghyun and Lee Haesik, Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hyein, and Cho Kuk Innovation Party lawmaker Jeong Chunsaeng. It is organized by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the Federation of Public Officials Trade Unions, and the Part-Time Workers' Union. Presentations will be given by Professor Chae Junho of Jeonbuk National University, with Bae Gyusik, former president of the Korea Labor Institute, serving as moderator. Participants will include representatives from labor unions, academia, district office unions, as well as officials from the Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Provided by Part-time Workers' Union.

The forum will focus on the abolition of the part-time recruitment public officials system as a key agenda item, calling for fundamental reform of the system. Other issues to be discussed include amendments to the Public Officials Act to secure the right to request changes in working hours, improvements to the blanket deduction of one hour of overtime, and revisions to various allowance payment methods.

Jung Sunghye, chairperson of the Part-Time Workers' Union, stated, "The Lee Jaemyung administration should have the courage to acknowledge the failure of the part-time recruitment public officials system introduced under the Park Geun-hye administration, and after abolishing the system, those who are able to work 40 hours per week due to resolved reasons such as childcare should be converted to full-time officials. For those who wish to work shorter hours, the existing 'part-time conversion public official' system can be used to sufficiently adjust working hours."

Chairperson Jung emphasized, "At the time of entry, local government part-time officials were hired through open competitive recruitment, while national government part-time officials were hired through career competitive recruitment. Although we passed the same exams, discrimination persists until retirement due to the barrier of 'working hours,' and this situation must be changed."

Detailed information about the "National Assembly Forum for the Abolition of the Failed Part-Time Recruitment Public Officials System" can be found on the National Part-Time Public Officials Labor Union website.