An office worker in the fourth year, a person surnamed Choi (32), is considering becoming a "jiksusaeng (a person who prepares for exams for public service, certifications, or promotions while working)" by preparing for the certified labor attorney exam while keeping a job. It is daunting to hear that it can take more than two years to pass even with full-day study, but the judgment is that if the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act ("the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers") is implemented, the role of labor attorneys will expand significantly, making it possible to earn a seven-figure annual salary.
Choi said, "There are many projections that jobs in the legal or accounting fields will decrease due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI), but I think the demand for labor attorneys is more likely to increase," adding, "I think this is an opportunity."
◇"Labor attorney course sign-ups up 37%"
With the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers" set to take effect on Mar. 10 this year in a month, there are projections that the number of applicants for the labor attorney exam will hit an all-time high. The number of people taking the labor attorney exam has been steadily rising on expectations that corporations will see increased labor-management needs.
According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) on the 10th, 12,410 people applied for the certified labor attorney qualification exam last year, the most ever. Compared with the number of applicants in 2020 (7,549), that is an increase of about 64% in five years. Only 418 ultimately passed, for a pass rate of just 3.4%.
The industry expects the number of applicants this year to surpass last year's and set a new record. An eduwill official said, "In January this year, the number of members who signed up for the labor attorney course increased 37% from a year earlier."
The "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers" recognizes the bargaining rights of subcontract workers with the primary contractor and includes in collective bargaining even business management decisions that affect worker status or working conditions. This is why there are grumblings in the business community that bargaining could go on all year. Expecting the role of labor attorneys to grow accordingly, test-takers challenging the labor attorney exam are lining up.
The age range of those attempting the labor attorney exam is diversifying. Among those who passed the second-round exam last year, 28 were in their 40s, six were in their 50s, and one was 60 or older.
An official at a labor academy said, "Among office worker test-takers, many work in human resources or accounting teams at corporations and seek to expand their expertise by becoming labor attorneys," adding, "In the past, there was a clear tilt toward the accounting professions, but recently applications for labor attorneys have been increasing."
The labor attorney exam consists of first- and second-round written tests covering labor law, the Civil Act, and more, followed by a third-round interview. The first and second rounds use an absolute grading system, and a candidate passes by scoring at least 40 points per subject and an average of at least 60 points. The first round is multiple choice and is relatively easy, with a pass rate of about 50% last year.
By contrast, the second round is essay-based and is difficult enough that the pass rate has remained at 7–10% over the past five years. In 2024, the number of candidates who cleared the second-round cutoff did not reach the minimum number of successful candidates, 330, so some below the cutoff were additionally passed.
◇Amid concerns over a surge in bargaining, corporations hire labor attorneys
Those preparing for the labor attorney exam expect that once they clear the high bar to pass, there will be plenty of work under the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers." A person surnamed Park (34), who is preparing for the labor attorney exam, said, "In a situation where bargaining must be conducted with subcontractors due to the 'the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers,' AI cannot fully replace that role," adding, "I see it as a competitive license."
In particular, although the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) presented guidelines ahead of the implementation of the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers," the consensus is that there will be no small amount of conflict between labor and management until case law accumulates. This means labor-management demand will be hard to reduce in the short term.
A person surnamed Jeong (35), who handles labor affairs at a large corporation, said, "Because this is a first for both corporations and unions, the workload exploded even before (the 'the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers') took effect."
On the ground, staffing for response is already being increased. According to the Korea Certified Public Labor Attorney Association, in August last year, the month the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers" passed the National Assembly, there were 80 requests to hire labor attorneys, up 42.8% from the same month a year earlier (56). Major large corporations, including POSCO, also issued successive job postings to hire certified labor attorneys.
However, voices that the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers" will hinder corporate activity have not subsided. According to the "2026 labor relations outlook survey" released last month by the Korea Enterprises Federation, 72.9% of responding corporations said, "Labor relations in 2026 will be more unstable than in 2025." As the main cause of labor-relations instability, 83.6% of responding corporations cited "increased conflict and labor movement struggles due to the implementation of the 'the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers.'"