Latest news with #LaborMinistry
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Future of foreign nanny program uncertain amid wage concerns
While Filipino caregivers cite general satisfaction with the program, service costs remain a key barrier to broader adoption The South Korean government on Tuesday cast doubt on whether a program introducing foreign caregivers to Seoul would expand past the pilot, citing unresolved cost issues. At a roundtable meeting hosted in Seongdong-gu, eastern Seoul, the director of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Foreign Workforce Division, Han Eun-sook, told the press that it would be 'difficult to expand the foreign caregiver program into a full-fledged program' unless the problems surrounding caregiving costs are resolved. The pilot program was launched in September 2024 as part of the city government's response to low birth rates and efforts to ease pressure on working parents. It hired trained caregivers from the Philippines to assist with child care and housework in Seoul. According to the city government, 86 Filipino caregivers are employed by 143 households in Seoul, with each worker being assigned to one to two households. Initially planned to run through February 2025, the pilot program shifted from a government-led model to one that's managed by the private sector from March, and was extended again for another year. However, the cost of the service — 16,800 won ($12.30) per hour — has emerged as a key barrier to broader adoption. At four hours per day, five days a week, families would pay a monthly expense of around 1.46 million won per month, including wages, insurance and administrative fees. Due to its high service costs, the program has been criticised for only being accessible to high-income households. Forty-three percent of the applications made to the city government in August 2024 came from three districts in the capital considered to be the most wealthy: Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu in southern Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government previously requested that foreign domestic workers be exempt from South Korea's minimum wage to reduce household costs, citing Singapore and Hong Kong as examples. In Hong Kong, foreign domestic workers are not covered by the standard statutory minimum wage and in Singapore, no legally mandated minimum wage applies to domestic workers, with their salary instead determined through individual contracts between the employer and worker. However, the Labor Ministry rejected this proposal, citing the Labor Standards Act and the International Labor Organization's conventions, which prohibit wage discrimination based on nationality. 'Because minimum wage and labor protections apply equally, the program struggles to fulfill its initial goal of easing the burden of costs that come with care services,' explained Han. Still, Han clarified that foreign caregivers currently working in South Korea can continue to work here for three more years, regardless of whether the pilot program transitions into a permanent one. Noting that the city government currently provides subsidies for low-income families in need of domestic workers of Korean nationality, the city government's director general of the Women and Family Office, Kim Sun-soon, stated that such subsidies could also be extended to families using similar services provided by foreign domestic workers. 'If these families are also allowed to receive the same kind of support when using the service provided by foreign caregivers, the issue could be resolved,' said Kim. 'The city government sees that there is clearly a strong demand among many families for foreign caregivers, as they are a lot younger and are more active than the Korean domestic workers. We hope to continue discussions with the new administration to carry the program forward.' Meanwhile, foreign caregivers who attended the roundtable discussion spoke positively about their experiences of living and working in Seoul. Two such workers, Jasmine Erika and May Ann, cited minor communication difficulties due to their lack of fluency in Korean. However, the two workers also mentioned that most of the families they work with 'can speak English very well,' and that they are putting in efforts of their own to learn Korean during their spare time.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
SPC Samlip HQ, factory searched over worker's death
Authorities carried out a search and seizure operation Tuesday at the headquarters of South Korean confectionery company SPC Samlip and its bread factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province as part of an investigation into the death of a worker who died after becoming trapped on a moving conveyor belt in May. On Tuesday morning, police and officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor searched the company's headquarters in Seoul and Siheung-based plant, as well as the offices within the factory site to examine potential violations of Serious Accidents Punishment Act and Occupational Safety and Health Act. The raid is the first search and seizure conducted 29 days after the conveyor belt accident as the court dismissed the police's three search warrant requests since May. The court granted the search warrant on June 13. While the police reportedly announced that officials were dispatched to secure documents and digital data related to the overall production process of the bread factory, work procedures and accident prevention measures, the Labor Ministry's inspectors were set to focus on the proper safety measures for maintenance work to examine whether the accident was due to individual worker's mistake or the result of company's inadequate safety system. 'The search and seizure will focus on securing evidence related to whether proper safety measures were made during the maintenance procedure, including the application of lubricant. Based on the evidence obtained, we will thoroughly investigate whether the company had an effective safety and health management system in place to protect the worker,' the Labor Ministry said in an official statement. 'If any legal violations are found, we will take strict measures,' it added. Both the police and the ministry have been investigating the case after the worker died on May 19. Based on the on-site investigation, authorities previously revealed that the worker appears to have been fatally injured after going inside the machine to apply lubricant to the conveyor belt. And the police recently confirmed that she was carrying a container of cutting fluid — oil which is used to reduce the frictional heat generated between the cutting tool and the material being cut — with methylene chloride listed as the main substance. As the Ministry of Environment specified methylene chloride as a toxic substance known to pose significant health risks, including neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and potential damage to the liver, the police are reportedly investigating whether the cutting oil was used in the bread production process. It stated that the cutting fluid container, which was voluntarily submitted by the factory, was sent to the National Forensic Service for analysis. The food company claimed that it used food-grade lubricant which is harmless to the human body.
NHK
05-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Japan's real wages drop for 4th month in April
Japan's inflation-adjusted wages fell for the fourth straight month in April. Salaries rose but failed to keep pace with rising consumer prices. The labor ministry's preliminary data show that real pay dropped 1.8 percent from a year earlier. The ministry surveyed about 30,000 businesses across the country with at least five employees. Workers earned an average 302,453 yen, or a little over 2,100 dollars, in April. That includes base pay and overtime. The figure is up 2.3 percent year on year, marking the 40th consecutive month of increase. Base pay came to 269,325 yen, or nearly 1,900 dollars, rising for 42 months in a row. It was up 2.2 percent compared to a year earlier. Ministry officials say that the base-pay rise was larger than the previous two months due to pay raises at the start of the fiscal year in April. But inflation outpaced the increase. They say they will keep a close watch on the impact of price moves and annual wage negotiations in the spring.
Bloomberg
04-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Japan's Base Pay Grows Faster, Backing Case for BOJ Rate Hike
Growth in Japanese workers' base pay picked up, in a positive development for the Bank of Japan as authorities look for an opportunity to raise interest rates even as domestic and global economic risks mount. Base salaries rose by 2.2% in April from a year ago, accelerating from the previous month's revised 1.4% gain, the labor ministry reported Thursday. Nominal wages increased 2.3%, compared with economists' consensus estimate of a 2.6% gain. A more stable measure of wage trends that avoids sampling problems and excludes bonuses and overtime showed wages for full-time workers climbed 2.5%, staying at or above 2% for a 20th consecutive month.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Multi-millionaire brands four-day work week the ‘stupidest idea I've ever heard'
A Canadian businessman and multi-millionaire has fired up at the suggestion of a four-day work week being widely adopted, swiftly branding the idea 'stupid' during an interview. Kevin O'Leary, known for his role as one of the investors on the program Shark Tank, didn't hold back when sharing his thoughts during a recent appearance on Fox News. 'There is a big push now for a four day work week, do you think we will become like the French?' one of the presenters asked. The four-day work week is becoming increasingly popular in France, with the country launching it's first official pilot of the program in 2024. In 2000, the country also legally mandated a 35-hour work week, with any hours worked beyond this considered overtime. In 2023, the France's Labor Ministry announced that around 10,000 employees were already working under a four-day model. France isn't the only country where the four-day movement is growing, with pilots taking place all over the world in recent years, including Australia. However, Mr O'Leary is not convinced by the working model's increased popularity. 'That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard,' he said. 'I think we should let the French go to a two-day work week and then kick their arse internationally.' The outspoken businessman claimed that in our post-pandemic world and new digital economy, there is 'no such thing as a work week' anymore. But this isn't to say Mr O'Leary thinks a traditional five-day work week is the answer either, with the multi-millionaire taking a more outcome focused approach. 'Look at my staff, 40 per cent of them work remotely all around the world,' he said. For example, if a project is due by June 15, then he doesn't care how many days a week his staff work, so long as the work is done on time. The businessman's brutal assessment sparked a heated debate, with many defending the four-day work model. One person claimed the 'best job' they ever had operated on a four-day work week, claiming their quality of life went up and they had time to study and upskill. 'I have a four-day work week. I can't express the difference in how much better my work week is given one extra day to decompress,' another said. One added: 'I have been running my company on a four-day work week for a few years now. I can't imagine going back to a five-day week.' However, there were others who agreed with Mr O'Leary's point of view. 'I couldn't agree more with you! I think that is so stupid!' one said. 'The people who want a four-day work week should start their own company,' another claimed. Another agreed, saying the focus should be on getting the work done by specific deadlines, with less focus on how many days a week it may take to complete. One of the common ways that companies implement a four-day week is by using the 100:80:100 model, in which staff keep 100 per cent of their pay but have their work hours reduced to 80 per cent. However, they must maintain 100 per cent of their productivity in order for the change to work. Other options include allowing staff to work a shorter week but for less pay, or offering standard 40 hour weeks condensed over four days. This isn't the first time Mr O'Leary has shared his opinion on divisive workplace topics. In August last year he raged at the Australian government following the introduction of the Right To Disconnect law. The law gives employees the right to refuse contact outside of their working hours. Staff are not required to monitor, read, or respond to contact from an employer or third party – within reason. The change left Mr O'Leary baffled. 'What happens if you have an event in the office and it is closed? Or you have an emergency room somewhere and you have to get of hold of them at 2am in the morning because it affects the job they are on,' he told Fox News at the time. 'This kind of stuff just makes me crazy. It is so dumb. Who dreams this crap up? Why would anyone propose such a stupid idea?' He added that he would 'fire' an employee if they ignored his calls and didn't get back to him. Doubling down in a lengthy post to X, Mr O'Leary wrote: 'If you can't be reached when the job depends on it, you're out.' 'Who dreams up these ridiculous ideas? If someone tells me they're in 'silent mode,' they're fired,' he said.
