The Washington Post (WP), an influential daily newspaper in the United States, is attracting attention by reporting the opposition of the Korean ‘MZ generation’ to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s reorganization of the working hour system, such as the maximum of 69 hours a week.
The WP said on the 17th (local time), ‘The Korean government wants a 69-hour system. In an article titled “Young people do not tolerate it,” it was reported that “after the young people raised their voices and protested, the Korean government is exceptionally planning to reconsider the plan to introduce the 69-hour system.”
The WP then introduced the announcement made by Ahn Sang-hoon, senior secretary for social affairs in the presidential office, through a briefing the day before, saying, “President (Yoon Seok-yeol) has the perception that working overtime is impossible for more than 60 hours a week,” and that President Yoon had ordered supplementation.
In accordance with President Yoon’s supplementary instructions, an alternative is to increase the maximum working hours per week to mid-to-late 50 hours, more than the current 52 hours.
Chief Ahn said, “The government will listen more closely to various opinions from MZ workers, non-union workers, and workers from small and medium-sized enterprises in the future and come up with supplementary measures.”
The WP’s view is that the government’s reexamination was due to strong opposition from workers in the ‘MZ generation’ in their 20s and 30s.
In fact, according to Gallup Korea, in a poll conducted on the 10th after the government announced the introduction of the 69-hour work week, the negative evaluation of President Yoon in his 20s and 30s rose to 66% and 79%, respectively, the WP explained.
In a survey released on the 3rd, a week ago, negative evaluations were 57% and 62%, respectively. During the same period, the negative evaluation rate was similar or decreased slightly in other age groups.
The WP explained that Korea’s legal working hours are limited to 12 hours of overtime based on a 40-hour week, as long as employers compensate workers with additional leave or wages.
However, workers in their 20s and 30s whom the WP met said that in reality, they often do not receive compensation for overtime work.
“Workers in their 20s and 30s are accused of inefficiency by their employers to induce them to work overtime at home in the evenings, and in some cases to avoid legal scrutiny for overtime work,” the WP said. I can do it,” he said.
Ms. Lim, 30, who works for a large company, says her typical workday starts at 9am and ends at 10pm, and during busy weeks she works up to 70 hours, but there is no additional compensation for overtime over 52 hours.
Daniel Kim (35), a researcher in the field of medicine, has the experience of never leaving work before 10pm for 8 months. Working 80 hours a week is common within his company, and his wife, who works at a pharmaceutical company, also finished overtime at home, the WP introduced.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Korea currently has 1915 hours of average working hours per year, compared to 1791 hours in the United States. The OECD average is 1716. In Japan, which was once considered a representative country for long hours, the average working hours last year was 1,607 hours.
A Japanese professor pointed out in an interview with the WP that Korea should seek to increase productivity, not working hours, and Korea University professor Lee Jeong-seon said that Korean employers need to hire more people when jobs increase, but companies cannot afford financially. They point out that they rarely do so because there is no or it is cheaper to ask existing staff to fill the void.
The WP pointed out that long working hours are also linked to another social problem, the low birth rate.
Professor Ray Cooper of the University of Sydney said, “Long working hours lead to a conflict between work and childcare, which is directly related to a low birth rate.”
(Washington = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.