Gov't to relax 52-hour workweek cap for certain sectors

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Gov't to relax 52-hour workweek cap for certain sectors

Published: 13 Nov. 2023, 19:06

PARK EUN-JEE
park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr

Office buildings in central Seoul remain lit in the evening on Monday. [NEWS1]

The government will lift the 52-hour workweek cap for certain business sectors, following yearslong backlash from the employer side of the Korean industry.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the proposal Monday, saying it made the decision based on a survey of 6,030 workers and employers between June and August.

The ministry refrained from specifying the segments entitled for the relaxed rule, but the survey mentioned manufacturing and construction fields as the areas in need of revision.

Maximum working hours for those sectors will likely be increased to 60 hours, local media outlets predicted.

The remaining businesses will still be subject to the existing framework of 52 working hours per week.

“While retaining the 52-hour workweek, we will come up with revisions for certain businesses,” said Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Sung-hee.

Also in the cards is changing how working hours are counted, from a weekly basis to a monthly or quarterly basis, to allow employees to work more during peak seasons and less when the workload is lighter.

Among those surveyed in the manufacturing field, the majority of employees and employers were in favor of broadening the workweek counting system to monthly, quarterly and more.

The current law mandates that overtime cannot exceed 12 hours per week, on top of a 40-hour workweek, capping the total hours at 52.

“We will not limit the overtime calculation by week and rather give autonomy to companies on the condition that the change is agreed upon by labor and management from select businesses where the change is needed,” the Labor Ministry said in a statement.

Besides manufacturing-heavy industries, some startups and tech companies would welcome the change because they tend to have heavy workloads during peak seasons.

The proposal came after the government suggested more radical changes to the current workweek back in March.

The March proposal suggested a total overtime of 52 hours per month, 140 hours per quarter, 250 hours per half-year and 440 hours per year.

Theoretically, some people may end up working up to 69 hours a week if working hours are tabulated by month, although the ministry explained that this isn't likely.

First introduced in 2018, the 52-hour workweek is considered a major labor reform conducted by the former Moon Jae-in administration, alongside a steep hike in the minimum wage.

But the change was a headache for corporate management, especially those in the manufacturing sector, since factories often operate around the clock.

However, not all people are disgruntled. Among employees, 48.5 percent of those surveyed said that the 52 hour workweek contributed to easing excessive overtime work while 45.9 percent praised the system for making working hours more predictable and consistent.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]