Issue Universal flexible work rights and care support in Korea

Summary

The report treats flexible working as one of the main policies for reducing career breaks and raising labour market participation, especially for women raising children and physically vulnerable older workers. It argues that flexible work should become a universal arrangement that men also use, so that those who use it do not face job discrimination. The government is urged to support the attendance management and information security systems needed for remote work, particularly for small and medium-sized firms with limited finances. Citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that recognised employers' duty to adjust and accommodate working hours for childcare, KEIS proposes amending the Equal Employment Opportunity Act to give workers a right to request working-time adjustments. In the longer run it wants this right extended to all workers and a universal care support system built, because growing family care needs for older parents could otherwise constrain the labour supply of workers in their fifties and above.