'Family care' leaves to be available starting 2020
gettyimagesbank
By Lee Suh-yoon
Employees will be able to take up to 10 days off every year to take care of sick family members, following new regulations that will take effect Jan. 1, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, Tuesday.
The government endorsed the revision of the relevant enforcement ordinance in the Act on the Equal Employment of Both Sexes to help workers balance work and family duties.
In the new system called “family care leave,” employees can use up to 10 days a year to care for a child, sick partner or ailing parent, including in-laws.
For similar purposes, employees had been allowed to take 30 to 90 days for a leave of absence, but it was impossible to take such leave for shorter periods.
Previously, such leaves only applied to carers of children, parents, spouses and parents-in-law. The new scheme extends to one's grandchildren and grandparents if they do not have a direct parent or child who is capable of taking care of them.
Employees at public institutions or firms with at least 300 workers will also be able to apply for shortened working hours to take care of a family member, personal health issues or academic plans. The scheme will also apply to smaller companies starting 2021. However, the employer can reject the application if there are no suitable replacements for the worker or there are other operational concerns.
The new rules reflect changes in traditional gender roles and public recognition of care services. With a shortage of reliable public childcare and elderly care services, the responsibility of caring for children and the elderly has largely fallen on the family unit in Korea. But a growing number of women are choosing to remain in the workforce, or financially unable to sacrifice their careers for the traditional stay-at-home housewife role.
As this shift is leading to a record-low birthrate in the country, the issue of the burden of care ― and labor conditions that make it impossible for individuals to balance work and family ― is finally being addressed.
“We hope these new family care measures and shortened working hour systems can help employees better achieve a work-life balance,” the labor ministry said in a press statement. “We also expect the measures will have positive results for the employer in terms of retaining experienced talent and productivity.”
In a related change, starting Feb. 28, working parents will also be able to go on maternity and paternity leave at the same time to take care of their child together. By allowing mothers' and fathers' parental leave to overlap, the ministry hopes “a culture of equal child-rearing” can be expanded.
Additionally, parental leave will be guaranteed even if the child does not live with the parent, as long as they prove they are still contributing to the child's care.