Working hours and the regulations in Korea

Inah Kim; Jeehee Min

doi:10.35371/aoem.2023.35.e18

Working hours and the regulations in Korea

Ann Occup Environ Med. 2023 Jul 6:35:e18. doi: 10.35371/aoem.2023.35.e18. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Inah Kim¹, Jeehee Min²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
² Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

South Korea has the highest policy priority for working hour regulations because it has longer annual working hours than other Organization for Economic Development Co-operation and Development countries and has fewer holidays. According to the results of the Working Conditions Surveys between 2006 and 2020, in 2020, 6% of wage earners worked for > 52 hours weekly. The percentage of workers exceeding 52 hours weekly has decreased over time; however, disparities exist based on age, industry, occupation, company type, and company size, particularly in service-, arts-, and culture-related occupations and workplaces with fewer than 5 employees. South Korea's working hours system is greatly influenced by the 52-hour weekly maximum; sometimes, a maximum of 64-69 hours, including overtime, is theoretically possible. To ensure healthy working hours, it is important to actively protect workers who fall through the cracks, such as those in businesses with fewer than 5 employees.

Keywords: Regulations; Working conditions; Working hours.