Working hours in South Korea define the length of time workers are allowed to be on the job in South Korea.
In the 1960s, South Korea began to transform itself from an agricultural economy to an industrial, service and high-tech-oriented economy. [2] Since then, the country's per capita GDP increased from US$100 in 1963 to US$35,300 in 2014, turning South Korea into the 20th largest economy in the world. [2] In the process, work hours increased. According to OECD figures, annual working hour levels in South Korea were at 1,901/worker in 2022. [3] As a consequence, Korea now ranks 5th on OECD ranking, compared to 1,810 annual hours in the US, 1,607 in Japan, 1,531 in the UK, and 1,340 in Germany (the lowest among OECD countries). [3]
Koreans work such long hours, among other reasons, because of the Korean industrial system and nighttime culture. South Korea's corporate culture resembles that of Japan–hierarchical and with significant subcontracting, both factors increasing working hours. [4] Even though Korea has a statutory limit working week of 40 hours/week, also allowing for 12 hours of paid overtime on weekdays and 16 hours on weekends, manufacturing companies such as the automobile industry operate at a non-stop basis. [5] In addition, cafes, transportation, pubs, restaurants, private study rooms, shopping malls, and fast food restaurants also operate continuously. [6] Although the Labor Standard Act has previously sets statutory limits, enforcement is weak and employers routinely violate the Act.
Those searching for a work to life balance have argued that a reduction in the hours in an average workday would lead to an enhancement in the current work to life balance of Korean workers. However, those changes would require a substantial transformation of the Korean corporate culture (Beech 2020).
Work life balance is becoming increasingly harder to achieve for working class citizens, particularly people with families.
As of 2014, 80.7% of the Labor Standard Act had been implemented. [7] The 40 hour working week met with 93% success in the manufacturing industry as compared with 73.1% elsewhere. [7] Implementation in the public sector (99%) is higher than in the private sector (80.5%). [7]
Male workers in manufacturing industry are allowed 24.10 overtime work hours while non-manufacturing workers get 10.90 hours. [7] Public sector can work 11.06 hours overtime, while private sector workers are allowed 16.06 hours. [7] Even though Korea has implemented the 40 hour work week, workers in South Korea appear satisfied with their job and lives. A higher salary has a positive and significant impact on worker' job and life satisfaction. [8] They tend to be satisfied with longer hours. However, longer work hours do not necessarily mean greater productivity. Employers use overtime because the costs are much less (9,045 won/hr or $8) than e.g., in France, where businesses are heavily taxed. [9]
According to the PLOS ONE research article The negative impact of long working hours on mental health in young Korean workers, One of the causes is the unhealthy manners linked with working overtime, such as increased alcohol intake and lack of physical activity. In addition, the employees working extended hours may not have the time to obtain proper medical treatment when they become sick. Additionally, working lengthy hours may cause hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome and is linked to ischemic heart disease, stroke, and increased mortality (Park 2020).
Statistics show that in 2019 “workers aged between 30 to 39 years old worked 158.9 hours per month on average in South Korea. In 2020, a new policy was introduced in South Korea that limited the weekly working hours to 52 hours per week” (Yoon 2020). [10] Statistics also show the steady decline of monthly work hours for each of the age groups between under 29 years old to over 60 years old age, which could be because of the evolving work culture by the younger generation. In 2019, the average hours worked by plant and machine operators and assemblers worked was 178.2 hours a month in South Korea. Working hours had declined across all jobs compared to the year before (Yoon 2020). [10]
These statistics are promising and go along with the increasing value of the work to life balance that many in the world strive for. “Korean corporate culture has been deeply influenced by the philosophy and traditions of Confucianism. Individuals are expected to show respect for their elders and superiors in the workplace. Within this construct, workers cannot graciously leave the office before his or her manager” (Beech 2015). [11]
Karoshi, which can be translated into "overwork death", is a Japanese term relating to occupation-related sudden death.
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other entity, pays the other, the employee, in return for carrying out assigned work. Employees work in return for wages, which can be paid on the basis of an hourly rate, by piecework or an annual salary, depending on the type of work an employee does, the prevailing conditions of the sector and the bargaining power between the parties. Employees in some sectors may receive gratuities, bonus payments or stock options. In some types of employment, employees may receive benefits in addition to payment. Benefits may include health insurance, housing, and disability insurance. Employment is typically governed by employment laws, organisation or legal contracts.
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process, i.e. output per unit of input, typically over a specific period of time. The most common example is the (aggregate) labour productivity measure, one example of which is GDP per worker. There are many different definitions of productivity and the choice among them depends on the purpose of the productivity measurement and data availability. The key source of difference between various productivity measures is also usually related to how the outputs and the inputs are aggregated to obtain such a ratio-type measure of productivity.
The economies of Canada and the United States are similar because both are developed countries. While both countries feature in the top ten economies in the world in 2022, the U.S. is the largest economy in the world, with US$24.8 trillion, with Canada ranking ninth at US$2.2 trillion.
The 35-hour workweek is a labour reform policy adopted in France in February 2000, under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government. Promoted by Minister of Labour Martine Aubry, it was adopted in two phases: the Aubry 1 law in June 1998 and the Aubry 2 law in January 2000. The previous legal working week was 39 hours, established by President François Mitterrand, also a member of the Socialist Party. The 35-hour working week had been on the Socialist Party's 1981 electoral program, titled 110 Propositions for France, but was not pursued because of the poor state of the economy.
Working time or laboring time is the period of time that a person spends at paid labor. Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week.
Flextime, also spelled flex-time or flexitime (BE), is a flexible hours schedule that allows workers to alter their workday and adjust their start and finish times. In contrast to traditional work arrangements that require employees to work a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. day, Flextime typically involves a "core" period of the day during which employees are required to be at work, and a "bandwidth" period within which all required hours must be worked. The working day outside of the core period is "flexible time", in which employees can choose when they work, subject to achieving total daily, weekly or monthly hours within the bandwidth period set by employers, and subject to the necessary work being done. The total working time required of employees on an approved Flextime schedule is much the same as those who work under traditional work schedule regimes.
Many both in and outside Japan share an image of the Japanese work environment that is based on a "simultaneous recruiting of new graduates" and "lifetime-employment" model used by large companies as well as a reputation of long work-hours and strong devotion to one's company. This environment is said to reflect economic conditions beginning in the 1920s, when major corporations competing in the international marketplace began to accrue the same prestige that had traditionally been ascribed to the daimyō–retainer relationship of feudal Japan or government service in the Meiji Restoration.
The labor force in Japan numbered 65.9 million people in 2010, which was 59.6% of the population of 15 years old and older, and amongst them, 62.57 million people were employed, whereas 3.34 million people were unemployed which made the unemployment rate 5.1%. The structure of Japan's labor market experienced gradual change in the late 1980s and continued this trend throughout the 1990s. The structure of the labor market is affected by: 1) shrinking population, 2) replacement of postwar baby boom generation, 3) increasing numbers of women in the labor force, and 4) workers' rising education level. Also, an increase in the number of foreign nationals in the labor force is foreseen.
Workforce productivity is the amount of goods and services that a group of workers produce in a given amount of time. It is one of several types of productivity that economists measure. Workforce productivity, often referred to as labor productivity, is a measure for an organisation or company, a process, an industry, or a country.
Job sharing or work sharing is an employment arrangement where two people, or sometimes more, are retained on a part-time or reduced-time basis to perform a job normally fulfilled by one person working full-time. This leads to a net reduction in per-employee income. The people sharing the job work as a team to complete the job task and are jointly responsible for the job workload. Pay, holidays and working hours are apportioned between the workers. In some countries, systems such as pay as you go and PAYE help make deductions for national insurance, and superannuations are made as a straightforward percentage.
Work–life balance in the United States is having enough time for work and enough time to have a personal life in the United States. Related, though broader, terms include lifestyle balance and life balance. The most important thing in work and life is the personal ability to demonstrate and meet the needs of work and personal life in order to achieve goals. People should learn to deal with role engagement management, role conflict management and managing life needs to achieve balance. Balance is about how to properly achieve the desired work and life satisfaction and needs in a conflict situation.
The Labor policy in the Philippines is specified mainly by the country's Labor Code of the Philippines and through other labor laws. They cover 38 million Filipinos who belong to the labor force and to some extent, as well as overseas workers. They aim to address Filipino workers’ legal rights and their limitations with regard to the hiring process, working conditions, benefits, policymaking on labor within the company, activities, and relations with employees.
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are employed. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted versus adjusted pay gap. The latter typically takes into account differences in hours worked, occupations chosen, education and job experience. In other words, the adjusted values represent how much women and men make for the same work, while the non-adjusted values represent how much the average man and woman make in total. In the United States, for example, the non-adjusted average woman's annual salary is 79–83% of the average man's salary, compared to 95–99% for the adjusted average salary.
Statistics on unemployment in India had traditionally been collected, compiled and disseminated once every ten years by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MLE), primarily from sample studies conducted by the National Sample Survey Office. Other than these 5-year sample studies, India had historically not collected monthly, quarterly or yearly nationwide employment and unemployment statistics on a routine basis. In 2016, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a non-governmental entity based in Mumbai, started sampling and publishing monthly unemployment in India statistics. Despite having one of the longest working hours, India has one of the lowest workforce productivity levels in the world. Economists often say that due to structural economic problems, India is experiencing jobless economic growth.
The rate of youth unemployment in South Korea fluctuated in the 9–11% range between 2001 and 2014. It was above 10% in 2018 and down to 7.1% by the end of 2019 - the lowest level since 2011.
The unemployment rate in the Republic of Korea as of December 2021 is 3.7 percent. Since its rapid globalization and democratization, the unemployment rate has been comparatively low compared to most OECD countries. This remains the case as of 2021. Being Asia’s fourth-largest economy, the country's booming exports have helped to maintain the unemployment rate very low by the standards of developed countries. There are several measurement differences between the standard of measurement set by the International Labour Organisation and the official measurement of unemployment in the Republic of Korea, set by Statistics Korea, that contribute to an inflated unemployment rate when compared to other countries that abide more strictly by the standard set by the International Labour Organisation.
South Korea has been a society that could not guarantee work–life balance historically and legally. But work–life balance in South Korea advanced when Warabel emerged as a neologism, changing the perception of people's work and their basic rights. There are two major movements: improving law and improving people's perceptions.
Overwork, also known as excessive work or work overload, is an occupational condition characterized by working excessively, frequently at the expense of the worker's physical and mental health. It includes working beyond one's capacity, leading to fatigue, stress, and potential health complications.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)