"Let's Try to Get Some Unemployment Benefits"... Recipient Who Collected 100 Million Won Repeated Resignation and Rehire 21 Times

As of July, 1,303,000 People Receiving Unemployment Benefits
Number of Repeat Recipients Expected to Reach Record High

This year, the number of repeat recipients of unemployment benefits is expected to reach an all-time high. There have even been cases where individuals exploited loopholes in the unemployment benefits system by repeatedly resigning and being rehired by the same company, receiving benefits more than 20 times and collecting over 100 million won.

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According to data submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Assemblyman Kim Wisang of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on September 29, the total number of unemployment benefit recipients as of July was 1,303,000, which is 76.7% of last year's total of 1,697,000.

Among them, the number of repeat recipients-those who received benefits two or more times-stood at 371,000. This accounts for about one-third of all recipients and already surpasses 75.7% of last year's total number of repeat recipients (490,000).

The number of people who received benefits three or more times was 84,000, which is 74.3% of last year's total. Given the current trend, the number of repeat recipients by the end of the year is expected to surpass the previous record high.

In particular, cases of repeatedly receiving unemployment benefits from the same workplace have surged. This involves repeatedly resigning and being rehired to claim benefits. The number of people who received benefits three or more times from the same workplace was about 9,000 in 2019, but jumped 2.4 times to 22,000 in 2024, and already exceeded 15,000 by July this year.

An analysis of the top 10 cases by cumulative benefit amount revealed that one worker received unemployment benefits a total of 21 times from the same workplace, collecting 104 million won in total. Through agreements on dismissal and reemployment, the state effectively ended up covering the worker's wages.

The number of cases involving inadequate job-seeking activities has also increased. There were only 1,272 such cases in 2022, but this rose to about 71,000 in 2023, about 98,000 last year, and 52,000 cases were detected in just the first half of this year. Under the current system, anyone who has worked 180 days within an 18-month period is eligible to receive benefits, with no limit on the number of times or the total amount that can be claimed.