Starting on the 1st of next month, the government will also provide workload-sharing subsidies to employers who approve spousal paternity leave.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said on the 23rd that a revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act containing this measure was reviewed and approved at a Cabinet meeting.
The workload-sharing subsidy is a government subsidy paid to employers who compensate coworkers who take over the duties of employees on maternity leave. Until now, it was paid only when a worker took parental leave or reduced working hours during the childcare period. But with this decree revision, the workload-sharing subsidy will also be paid when spousal paternity leave is used for 20 consecutive days. The labor ministry said, "We expect that practical conditions for using spousal paternity leave at small and midsize businesses will improve and that men's participation in childcare will expand."
Also, under this revised decree, regional employment promotion subsidies will be paid only if production begins within six months of filing a regional employment plan. Regional employment promotion subsidies are a system that supports a portion of wages when an employer who transfers a business to, or newly establishes or expands a business in, an employment crisis area hires a job seeker residing in that area for at least six months. Previously, subsidies were paid even if production began within one year and six months of filing the regional employment plan.
At this Cabinet meeting, the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act was also revised to require employers to provide materials needed for an industrial accident worker to receive insurance benefits upon request. This, too, will take effect on the 1st of next month. In addition, to receive compensation for noise-induced hearing loss as an industrial accident, special hearing examinations previously had to be conducted only at medical institutions designated by law, but going forward they may also be conducted at hospitals and clinics that meet the requirements.
A labor ministry official said, "With the expansion of medical institutions that can conduct special examinations, the time required for hearing examinations will be drastically reduced," adding, "Faster compensation will become possible for workers who suffer work-related injuries."