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| Amid aging population and emergence of the fourth industrial revolution flanked by artificial intelligence and automation, Korean workers may no longer be subject to five days a week ― or not. / Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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| Moon Jae-in |
The Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker in January spoke at his political strategy think-tank meeting about a cosmetic product manufacturer in the city of Chungju. He said the company introduced a four-day week in 2010, which had resulted in a 20 percent increase in sales and more than doubled the number of employees.
"I will create 500,000 jobs by reducing the legal working hours to 52 hours a week," Moon said. "Thirteen years ago when five days a week practice was suggested, conglomerates and conservative media bucked the idea, saying it would ruin the economy.
"But despite 500 yearly working hours reduced with the idea in place, our economy improved and people saw better lives."
He was not blinded by the four-days-a-week idea but was convinced he could reduce legal working hours by some definite number.
Many Koreans would welcome four days a week, but also question whether it is feasible. They like the idea because it promises more freedom outside the office such as "a day with quality evening life" which many workers would like.
But, for employers, it is intertwined with so many structural teeth that settling it in place would take long time.
In March, a National Assembly forum for future industry and quality employment concluded that yearly working hours for Koreans should be reduced from 2,113 to 1,800 hours by 2020.
Hosted by Rep. Roh Hoe-chan of the Justice Party and Rep. Seo Hyung-soo of Democratic Party of Korea, the forum suggested mandatory days off and banning overtime.
"The five-days-a-week system, or 40 hours a week, isn't working out on laborers' part," a senior researcher from the Korea Labor & Society Institute said at the forum.
"It is time to introduce more practical laws to reduce working hours that will help aged laborers and part-timers in addition to regular workers."
With the fourth industrial revolution in full swing across the globe, emergence of artificial intelligence adds to reasons five days a week will not last permanently. When humans are expected to be replaced by much more efficient robots, reducing people's working hours will be only natural.
"In bygone eras, workers had to put in more effort for longer hours to receive higher wages," according to Now News. "But the fourth industry revolution will drive more countries and more companies to make people work fewer hours, raising the possibility of working four days a week in Korea.".
But the idea also raises worries.
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| A Uniqlo store in Tokyo, Japan / Korea Times file |
Experts endorsing the idea say that to implement it, compromising with workers to adjust their wages and working hours would be inevitable.
Other problems include that reduced working hours will naturally affect workers' professional skills and productivity. Small to medium-sized companies will fare particularly badly with worker-employer relations jeopardized by decreased sales as a result of reduced working hours.
Rep. Yun Ho-jung said reducing working hours "must be mediated by politicians to persuade workers and employers."
Four days a week is common in Germany and Japan. As of 2015, Germans' yearly working hours were 1,371 hours, the lowest among OECD members, and average hourly income was more than $32.
Koreans work more than 2,100 hours a year and earn $15 an hour. Germany also had the second-lowest jobless rate of 4 percent as of 2016 after the Czech republic.
In Korea, the jobless rate was more than 10 percent in 2016 and the misery of job-seeking adults in their 20s and 30s was dubbed"hell Joseon," referring to the nation's historic dynasty from 1392 to 1910.
Japan's Yahoo Japan, clothing brand Uniqlo and housing construction company Daiwa House offer a four-day week to attract young employees in an aging society. Automaker Toyota and human resource company Recruit Holdings allow staff to work from home to give them more freedom.
The movement for a better working environment is progressing in Korea as well, with some civil servants allowed to leave work two hours earlier at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Beginning with the Ministry of Personnel Management, the early-finish practice once a month will also be allowed at the Ministry of Government Legislation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance within this month.
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