The 2018-2021 working time reform in Korea: A preliminary assessment

Hijzen, Alexander; Thewissen, Stefan

doi:10.1787/0e828066-en

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Moreover, it can be that firms have incentives to demand very long working hours rather than hiring new staff, for instance because of hiring risks due to stringent employment protection legislation. Workers may have incentives to supply very long working hours out of financial necessity and social security coverage gaps (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020; OECD, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Firms with fewer than five employees remain exempt. The 52‐h working limit brings Korea's working time limit in line with the prevailing practice of other OECD countries (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020).…”

Section: Institutional Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The working‐time reform contained two other measures aiming at reducing very long working hours (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020). For the purpose of this article, it is important to note that these two measures were implemented either across all firm sizes or in a staggered fashion by firm size but with a different timeline.…”

Section: Institutional Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2017, before the implementation of the working time reform analysed in this article, almost one in five Korean employees worked 55 or more hours per week. This is more than double the on average across OECD countries (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020). In an effort to change this, the Korean government adopted a major working time reform that lowered the statutory limit on total weekly working hours — the sum of normal and overtime hours — from 68 to 52.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…33For instance, such debates are currently ongoing in Austria, Chile, France, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea

Carcillo

Hijzen

Thewissen

2023

Brit J Industrial Rel

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This article provides a first assessment of the causal impact of the 2018–2021 reform in Korea meant to combat its long working‐hour culture. The reform consists of lowering the statutory limit on total weekly working hours from 68 to 52. We apply a difference‐in‐difference approach in which we take advantage of the stepwise implementation of the reform by firm size using individual‐level data. We present three main findings. First, the introduction of the 52‐h limit reduced but far from eliminated the incidence of working more than 52 h. Second, there is some evidence that the introduction led to a reallocation of working hours, with more employees shifting from working fulltime to working overtime within the new limit (41–52 h). Third, and more tentatively, this reallocation more likely took place within firms to account for fewer overtime hours worked by their employees, rather than within households to compensate for any income effects. Overall, our results show that a lower statutory limit can help to lessen a long working‐hour culture, but is an insufficient measure by itself to fully eradicate it.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Institutional Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Institutional Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…33For instance, such debates are currently ongoing in Austria, Chile, France, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom (Hijzen & Thewissen, 2020). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea

Carcillo

Hijzen

Thewissen

2023

Brit J Industrial Rel

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Different effects of working hour reduction on labor-intensive and knowledge-intensive industries in the era of artificial intelligence: a meta-frontier approach

et al. 2022

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Gender Differences in Daily Time Use: Trends and Educational Differentials

Park

2023

Journal of Korean Studies

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Using time-diary data collected in 1999, 2009, and 2019, this study documents changes over the last two decades in gender differences in time use for five major daily activities—housework, work outside the home, family care, leisure, and self-care, among Korean mothers and fathers with at least one child aged ten to eighteen. Given the rapid expansion of higher education among women, which outpaces the corresponding expansion among men, trends in gender disparities in daily time use provide a litmus test to evaluate progress toward gender equality. In assessing temporal changes in gender disparities in time use, particular attention is paid to potentially heterogeneous trends across mothers and fathers with different levels of education. The trends in both overall and education-specific time allocations reveal some evidence of progress toward more equal time use between mothers and fathers. However, even in 2019 Korean mothers spent much more time on housework but considerably less time on work outside the home. Moreover, the progress toward gender parity in time use has not been even across levels of education: it has been more evident among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher than their counterparts with lower levels of education.

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The 2018-2021 working time reform in Korea: A preliminary assessment

Abstract: JT03464472 OFDE This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea

The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea

Different effects of working hour reduction on labor-intensive and knowledge-intensive industries in the era of artificial intelligence: a meta-frontier approach

Gender Differences in Daily Time Use: Trends and Educational Differentials

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