Many localities in Korea apply 4-day work week

More and more South Korean localities are adopting a four-day workweek, with longer working hours from Monday to Thursday in exchange for a three-day weekend.

Recently, Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province started a trial of a four-day work week, which is repeated every two weeks. Accordingly, employees work four days a week.

The following week is a normal 5-day work week. Employees at level 7 and below may work overtime from Monday to Thursday and have Friday off.

For those in Level 6 and above with children under 8 years old, normal working hours apply from Monday to Thursday, while they can use extra childcare time from 6pm to 8pm and once a week, they will be allowed to take a day off on Friday.

Previously, since July this year, Chungnam Province has applied a 4-day workweek for civil servants with children under 2 years old. They can work 4 days, 10 hours a day and take one day off. Or they can work 4 days in the office and 1 day working remotely.

Seoul and Daejeon have also piloted a four-day workweek for pregnant employees or those with young children. These employees can work four days in the office and one day at home.

In a survey conducted last April of 1,490 public employees in Seoul with children under 8 years old, 89.6% of respondents said working from home helps balance work and childcare.

Jeju Island has also introduced a four-and-a-half-day workweek. Employees work longer hours from Monday to Thursday and leave the office at 1 p.m. on Friday. Since the total number of hours worked remains the same, wages remain the same.

The policy took effect in July and involved 658 officials and employees of state agencies (except Jeju and Seogwipo medical centers).

Jeju authorities also require civil servants with children under the age of 2 to work from home one day a week. Meanwhile, employees can work from home one day from Monday to Thursday and leave the office at 1 p.m. on Friday.

Professor Lee Byung Hoon at Chung Ang University said that with South Korea known for its long working hours, and with average working hours higher than most member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the four-day workweek in the public sector could serve as a catalyst for society to embrace change toward a better work-life balance.

According to Statistics Korea, the number of workers working more than 53 hours/week in 2023 is 3.067 million, up 4% from 2.95 million the previous year.

This is the first time the number of workers working more than 53 hours a week has increased since the Korean government implemented the 52-hour workweek in 2018.