South Korea to ease eligibility rules for 10 a.m. work start program for parents

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will significantly lower the eligibility bar for its 10 a.m. work start program for parents of young children starting Wednesday. Previously, only workers with at least six months of tenure at a participating workplace could apply. The ministry will now open the program to any worker putting in 35 or more hours a week, regardless of how long they have been with their employer. Companies will also no longer be required to submit employment rules or collective bargaining agreements when applying for the incentive grant — submission of such documents will become a recommendation rather than a requirement.

The ministry announced the first-half operating results of the program, which was introduced this year, on Tuesday and said the revised system would take effect Wednesday.

The program subsidizes small and mid-sized business owners so that workers with children aged 12 or under — or in sixth grade or below — can start their workday one hour later without a pay cut. Employers receive 300,000 won ($195) per worker per month for up to one year.

The overhaul will substantially expand the pool of eligible workers. Under the previous rules, only employees with at least six months of tenure at the same workplace qualified for the grant; that requirement will now be abolished. The obligation to submit workplace regulations related to the program — such as employment rules or collective bargaining agreements — will also be relaxed to a recommendation, reducing the administrative burden on companies.

The ministry said it drew up the improvements in response to the program's rapid uptake. As of late June, 1,078 workers at 758 companies had applied in the first half of the year, reaching about 62 percent of the annual target of 1,734 workers. Grants totaling 673 million won were paid out to 776 workers at 561 companies. Three in 10 supported workers were men, which the ministry said indicated the program was also helping boost fathers' participation in child-rearing.

Feedback from the field has been positive. Workers said the program reduced the stress of getting children ready for school and helped them focus better at work, while companies reported improvements in workplace morale and employee satisfaction — contrary to initial concerns about productivity gaps.

"The 10 a.m. work start program is a policy that workers feel the real-world benefits of, as it gives parents time to see their children off to school," Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said. "We will continue expanding support so that companies can adopt the program without administrative burdens and more working parents can benefit."