Yoon Suk Yeol orders review of workweek reform proposal

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at a luncheon with CEOs of companies who promoted job creation at the Blue House in central Seoul Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday instructed the government to review the Labor Ministry's proposal to extend the maximum work week to 69 hours, especially taking heed to the opinions of younger people.

"Listen closely to the various opinions of workers, especially the opinions of the MZ generation, and review the content of the bill and what needs to be supplemented in communication with the public during the legislative notice period," Yoon was quoted as saying by senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.

On March 6, the Ministry of Employment and Labor Ministry announced a bill to reform the 52-hour workweek system by giving more flexibility to companies in work hours, allowing them to extend maximum weekly work hours to 69 hours.

The current 52-hour workweek system, introduced in 2018 during the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration, limits overtime work to 12 hours per week. At the time, some companies protested the move as being too restrictive and hindering their business productivity.

The Labor Ministry's proposal last week was meet by some backlash, especially taking into consideration that the United States, Britain and other developed countries have introduced reforms to shorten the workweek and improve work-life balance.

Under the new bill, total working hours will remain at 52 a week, but companies will be able to calculate overtime with more flexibility, allowing people who work more hours per week to get extra time off later.

Currently by law, an employee can work no more than 40 hours a week with 12 hours of overtime.

The bill will have to pass the National Assembly before it is enacted into law. It is undergoing a public review period and is expected to be sent to the National Assembly for approval around June.

Kim said Yoon especially stressed, "Reflect the concerns of the MZ generation, explain more and communicate more," referring to millennials born between 1980 and 1995 and the Gen Z born between 1996 and 2010.

Prime Minister Han Suk-soo explained that the government's workweek system reform is about giving workers the right to choose their working hours through a "flexible and reasonable system that takes into account peak and off-peak seasons through consensus between labor and management" in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Contrary to expectations, the bill to extend the workweek to 69 hours has been met with little enthusiasm from younger people in recent surveys.

The government is expected to conduct additional public opinion polls to better reflect on how to supplement the workweek system.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]