Starting next year, cross-recruitment insurance agents and after-school instructors at kindergartens and daycare centers will be eligible for employment insurance benefits. This change comes as the government aims to reduce gaps in coverage for certain labor provider occupations, which have had narrower employment insurance coverage compared to industrial accident insurance.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on July 22 that it will begin a 40-day legislative notice period for a partial amendment to the Employment Insurance Act to expand coverage for labor providers in four occupations.
Employment insurance for labor providers was first applied to 12 occupations on July 2021 and has since expanded to 19. However, some occupations had narrower coverage under employment insurance compared to industrial accident insurance, leading to cases where individuals performing similar work were not receiving employment insurance benefits. To address this, the Labor Ministry is working to unify the coverage of employment and industrial accident insurance.
The amendment will broaden the scope of coverage for four occupations. The insurance agent category will now include 'cross-recruitment agents' who can solicit both life and non-life insurance products, as well as 'cooperative and credit union agents.' The after-school instructor category will include 'specialized after-school instructors for kindergartens' and 'instructors for special activity programs at daycare centers.'
Additionally, the delivery driver category will include 'delivery drivers involved in household installation services under the Living Logistics Service Act,' and the credit card member recruitment category will add 'affiliated recruiters.' The Labor Ministry estimates that approximately 17,000 individuals will newly enroll in employment insurance as a result of this expansion.
Previously, after-school instructors at elementary schools were covered by both employment and industrial accident insurance, while after-school instructors at kindergartens and daycare centers were only covered by industrial accident insurance. This discrepancy in social insurance coverage for similar jobs will be addressed with the new amendment.
Support will also be provided to reduce the burden of employment insurance premiums. Employers of small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and labor providers earning less than 2.7 million won per month will receive 80% of their employment insurance premiums covered through the Durunuri social insurance premium support program.
Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon stated, "The expansion of employment insurance coverage will strengthen the safety net for certain occupations that have been in the blind spot of employment insurance. As new forms of jobs rapidly increase and the distinctions between labor provider occupations become increasingly blurred, we will work to expand the coverage of employment insurance to encompass all individuals classified as labor service income earners under the National Tax Act."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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