The variety of Korean staff taking parental depart reached a document excessive in 2024, information confirmed Wednesday, largely as a consequence of an increase within the variety of births final 12 months and the consequences of presidency insurance policies selling parental depart.
A complete of 206,226 staff took time without work from work with a purpose to care for his or her kids final 12 months, up from 198,218 recorded a 12 months earlier, in response to information from the Ministry of Knowledge and Statistics.
The ministry famous that the rise was partly as a consequence of an increase in births and the influence of parental depart insurance policies.
In 2024, the variety of infants born elevated for the primary time in 9 years to succeed in 238,300, up 3.6 % from a document low of 230,000 in 2023.
Underneath Korean regulation, mother and father of kids aged 8 years or youthful, or these within the second grade of elementary college or beneath, are eligible for as much as one 12 months of maternity or paternity depart.
To deal with the nation’s extended ultralow beginning fee, the federal government offers monetary help to employment insurance coverage subscribers who take parental depart.
Although nonetheless dominantly taken by ladies, the ministry additionally highlighted a shift towards extra shared parental depart between moms and dads.
Amongst these taking depart in 2024, the variety of fathers reached 60,117, a rise of 9,302 from the earlier 12 months. Girls accounted for 70.8 % of all staff who took parental depart final 12 months.
The company famous the common age of oldsters taking parental depart has steadily elevated, reflecting a pattern of delayed marriage and childbirth.
Of the male staff who took depart, 67.9 % have been affiliated with firms with 300 or extra workers. The proportion got here to 57.7 % for working moms.
