Last year, the average mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities in more than 30,000 private enterprises was 3.03%, falling short of the 3.1% proposed by the government. Since 1991, the government has imposed a mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities on private enterprises every year, and there has not been a single instance of achieving this target until last year.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 28th the status of mandatory employment of persons with disabilities for 2024.
National agencies and enterprises with more than 50 regular employees are required to employ a certain percentage of persons with disabilities in accordance with the Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities and Vocational Rehabilitation. The government raises the mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities every year, and last year, the public sector's rate was 3.8%, while the private sector's was 3.1%.
The government imposes employment burden fees on institutions and corporations that fail to meet the mandatory employment quotas. Additionally, if it is determined that no hiring efforts have been made, a list will be published. On the other hand, if the mandatory employment rate is exceeded, employment incentive payments will be granted.
Last year, the average employment rate of persons with disabilities, combining both public and private sectors, was 3.21%. This is an increase of 0.04% (points) from the previous year.
The employment rate in the public sector, including the government and public institutions, rose by 0.04 points to 3.9% compared to the previous year. This slightly surpassed last year's mandatory employment rate. The employment rate for persons with disabilities in the public sector was 5.92% for local governments, 4.05% for public institutions, 3.36% for central administrative agencies, 2.83% for constitutional institutions, and 2.52% for educational offices.
The mandatory employment rate in the private sector rose by 0.04 points to 3.03% compared to the previous year but still fell short of the standard (3.1%).
Although the mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities in the private sector has shown a continuous upward trend, it has never met the target set by the government.
Looking at the size of private enterprises, the mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities for those with fewer than 100 employees was the lowest at 2.05%. This was followed by enterprises with more than 1,000 employees (2.97%), 100 to 299 employees (3.39%), 300 to 499 employees (3.44%), and 500 to 999 employees (3.47%).
Among all private enterprises, the mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities in the group of 999 large corporations was 2.46%.
However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor noted that the gap between the mandatory employment rate for persons with disabilities in the private sector and the legal obligation rate narrowed to 0.07 points last year. This is the lowest since the implementation of the mandatory employment system.
Kwon Jin-ho, the Director of the Integrated Employment Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "We will actively support the employment of persons with disabilities in private enterprises through providing employment consulting for persons with disabilities and easing regulations on the establishment of standard workplaces for subsidiary companies to ensure that even one more person with a disability is given a chance to work."