Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
Shorter work weeks to spice up worker psychological well being and productiveness could also be catching on in some locations around the globe, however at the very least one nation seems to have missed the memo.
The South Korean authorities was this week compelled to rethink a plan that may have raised its cap on working hours to 69 per week, up from the present restrict of 52, after sparking a backlash amongst millennials and technology Z employees.
Employees within the east Asian powerhouse economic system already face a few of the longest hours on the planet – rating fourth behind solely Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile in 2021, based on the OECD – and demise by overwork (“gwarosa”) is assumed to kill scores of individuals yearly.
But the federal government had backed the plan to extend the cap following stress from enterprise teams in search of a lift in productiveness – till, that’s, it bumped into vociferous opposition from the youthful technology and labor unions.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior secretary mentioned Wednesday the federal government would take a brand new “route” after listening to public opinion and mentioned it was dedicated to defending the rights and pursuits of millennial, technology Z and non-union employees.
Elevating the cap had been seen as a method of addressing the looming labor scarcity the nation faces on account of its dwindling fertility charge, which is the world’s lowest, and its growing old inhabitants.
However the transfer was extensively panned by critics who argued tightening the screw on employees would solely make issues worse; specialists incessantly cite the nation’s demanding work tradition and rising disillusionment amongst youthful generations as driving components in its demographic issues.
It was solely as just lately as 2018 that, on account of widespread demand, the nation had lowered the restrict from 68 hours every week to the present 52 – a transfer that on the time acquired overwhelming help within the Nationwide Meeting.
The present legislation limits the work week to 40 hours plus as much as 12 hours of compensated extra time – although in actuality, critics say, many employees discover themselves below stress to work longer.
“The proposal doesn’t make any sense… and is so removed from what employees truly need,” mentioned Jung Junsik, 25, a college pupil from the capital Seoul who added that even with the federal government’s U-turn, many employees would nonetheless be pressured to work past the authorized most.
“My very own father works excessively each week and there’s no boundary between work and life,” he mentioned. “Sadly, that is fairly frequent within the workforce. Labor inspectors can not watch each office 24/7. South Korean individuals will (stay) susceptible to lethal extra time work.”
Based on the OECD, South Koreans labored a mean 1,915 hours in 2021, far above the OECD common of 1,716 and the American common of 1,767.
Lengthy hours – alongside excessive ranges of schooling and a rise in girls coming into the workforce – had been as soon as extensively credited as fueling the nation’s exceptional financial development following the Korean Battle within the Nineteen Fifties, when it went from being a poor economic system to one of many world’s richest.
Nonetheless, critics say the flipside to these lengthy hours might be seen clearly within the scores of “gwarosa” circumstances – “demise by overwork” – by which exhausted individuals pay with their lives via coronary heart assaults, industrial accidents or sleep-deprived driving.
Haein Shim, a spokeswoman for the Seoul-based feminist group Haeil, mentioned the nation’s fast development and financial success had come at a price and the proposal to increase working hours mirrored the federal government’s “reluctance to acknowledge the realities of South Korean society.”
She mentioned “isolation and lack of group stemming from lengthy work hours and intense workdays” was already taking its toll on many employees and “insane work hours will additional exacerbate challenges confronted by Korean girls.”
Along with gwarosa circumstances, the nation additionally has the best suicide charge amongst developed nations, based on knowledge from the Nationwide Statistical Workplace, she identified.
“It’s essential for the federal government (and firms) to handle urgent points which can be already affecting lives,” Shim mentioned. “The necessity for help and a wholesome work life steadiness can’t be neglected if we’re to make sure the well-being of people with the fact of the best suicide charge within the OECD.”
In 2017, the 12 months earlier than the federal government decreased the cap on working hours, lots of of individuals died on account of overwork, based on authorities knowledge. Even when the restrict was lower to 52 hours, circumstances of “gwarosa” continued to make the headlines. In 2020, labor unions mentioned 14 supply employees had died on account of overwork, having sacrificed their psychological well being and well-being to maintain the nation going in the course of the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
