The Semiconductor Engineering Society urged the government to use the enactment of the "Mega Special Zone Special Act" as an opportunity to revise the 52-hour workweek as applied to semiconductor research and development (R&D) personnel.
On the 7th, the Semiconductor Engineering Society issued a "statement on exemptions to the 52-hour workweek for research and development positions," saying, "Applying a uniform and rigid 52-hour workweek to research and development positions could undermine the technological competitiveness of Korea's semiconductor industry."
While supporting the government's direction to enact the Mega Special Zone Special Act to advance the three major mega projects pursued with corporations and to ease related regulations, the society argued that the working-hours system for research and development personnel should also be improved.
The society explained that, given the nature of R&D work, working hours are not proportional to outcomes. Some tasks require long-term research, while others call for a short burst of intense concentration followed by sufficient rest, making uniform time management unsuitable.
Instead, it proposed building a performance-based evaluation system rather than focusing on hours worked, and preparing corresponding compensation. It also said workers' health management and sufficient rest must go hand in hand, and that if compensation and support are inadequate, labor-market flexibility should be enhanced so they can change jobs freely.
The Semiconductor Engineering Society said, "If we rest on the current memory semiconductor boom and maintain a rigid working-hours regime, the United States and China, which have better research and development environments, could catch up with and overtake us even in memory." It added, "To widen the memory technology gap and expand competitiveness into system semiconductors, we must shift to a regime that can fully harness the creativity of research and development workers."