On May 29, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it, along with related ministries, will implement revised guidelines for improving the treatment of non-regular workers in the public sector and the operation of the pre-screening system for hiring non-regular workers.
These revisions follow measures announced in April during a Cabinet meeting aimed at improving unfair employment practices for non-regular workers and enhancing compensation for labor value and job insecurity.
The government has also established detailed criteria for the fair wage and appropriate pay system set to take effect in 2027. Fair wages will be provided to fixed-term workers with less than one year of service based on their duration of employment, and wages for fixed-term workers earning below 118% of the minimum wage will be raised to that level.
In cases where hiring non-regular workers is unavoidable, a minimum one-year employment contract will be guaranteed, and fair wages and weekly holiday pay will be provided proportionally to part-time workers.
The most significant change is the expansion of the pre-screening system for hiring. Introduced in 2018, this system has primarily operated within central government, local governments, and public institutions, but it will now also apply to local government-affiliated organizations and subsidiaries of public institutions.
The Ministry of Labor explained that the system has been revised to function as a practical measure to prevent the abuse of non-regular workers, addressing concerns that it was being operated merely as a formality in some institutions.
Going forward, the pre-screening process will assess not only the necessity of hiring non-regular workers but also the unavoidable nature of contracts lasting less than one year, the need for part-time work, and the allocation of budgets for improving working conditions.
This is seen as a step to reduce the short-term contracts and part-time hiring that have been customary in the public sector and to strengthen the principle of converting such positions into regular employment for ongoing and continuous work.
The government will also enhance the management of non-regular workers. Each institution will be required to annually manage the status and wage levels of non-regular workers, and if the number of non-regular workers increases by more than 10% compared to the previous year, the reasons for the increase must be documented separately. Supervisory agencies will conduct inspections of subordinate organizations at least once a year.
In particular, the government plans to investigate the operation of the pre-screening system annually and assess the appropriateness of the review results and the composition of review committees. There are also plans to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the pre-screening system for use in institutional assessments.
Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated, "We have established a system to create a workplace where the labor value of non-regular workers is respected, starting with the public sector as a model employer. We will actively guide and inspect to ensure that this is felt on the ground in collaboration with related ministries."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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