By Kim Bo-eun
More male workers took childcare leave in the first quarter of the year according to government data released Wednesday.
The labor ministry said men accounted for 10.2 percent of the 20,935 people on childcare leave as of the end of March, or 2,129, up 54.2 percent from a year earlier.
The largest percentage of men taking the leave (59.3 percent) came from large businesses with 300 or more employees. According to observers, many worked in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and were concentrated in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province (61.2 percent).
Last year, only 8.5% of 89,795 childcare leave takers were men.
While the figure shows men's participation inching up, it still lags behind other OECD member states.
Data for 2015 showed men accounted for 21.2 percent of people taking child care leave in Norway, 28 percent in Germany and 32 percent in Sweden.
"We expect men's increasing participation in childcare will not only help workers achieve a work-life balance but also contribute to companies' productivity in the long term," a ministry official said.
More male workers took childcare leave in the first quarter of the year according to government data released Wednesday.
The labor ministry said men accounted for 10.2 percent of the 20,935 people on childcare leave as of the end of March, or 2,129, up 54.2 percent from a year earlier.
The largest percentage of men taking the leave (59.3 percent) came from large businesses with 300 or more employees. According to observers, many worked in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and were concentrated in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province (61.2 percent).
Last year, only 8.5% of 89,795 childcare leave takers were men.
While the figure shows men's participation inching up, it still lags behind other OECD member states.
Data for 2015 showed men accounted for 21.2 percent of people taking child care leave in Norway, 28 percent in Germany and 32 percent in Sweden.
"We expect men's increasing participation in childcare will not only help workers achieve a work-life balance but also contribute to companies' productivity in the long term," a ministry official said.
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