Parental leave use at central government agencies tops 60% for first time, but police and fire departments lag behind

The parental leave rate among civil servants at central government agencies surpassed 60 percent for the first time last year. Male civil servants also took parental leave at a significantly higher rate, though the Korean National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency continued to fall well below the overall average, as the nature of their work makes it difficult to secure replacement staff.

According to data obtained from the Ministry of Personnel Management by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee, the parental leave rate across 53 central government agencies reached 60.8 percent last year. The figure has risen for five consecutive years — from 45.0 percent in 2021, to 48.8 percent in 2022, 52.2 percent in 2023 and 56.1 percent in 2024 — crossing the 60 percent threshold for the first time.

Of the 108,305 civil servants eligible for parental leave last year, 65,809 actually took it.

Uptake among male civil servants is also growing rapidly. The male parental leave rate rose to 45.6 percent last year, up 6.4 percentage points from 39.2 percent the year before. While still below half, the upward trend is clear.

Disparities among agencies persisted, however. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family posted the highest rate at 92.3 percent, followed by the Ministry of Education at 90.7 percent, the Military Manpower Administration at 88.2 percent, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at 86.6 percent and the Ministry of Unification at 85.4 percent.

By contrast, the Korean National Police Agency recorded 51.3 percent and the National Fire Agency 48.7 percent — both well below the overall average. Male parental leave rates at the two agencies were similarly low, at 39.5 percent and 40.3 percent, respectively.

The gap reflects working conditions at the two agencies, which are responsible for public safety and disaster response. Their heavy reliance on shift work and field operations makes it difficult to find replacements quickly for staff on parental leave.

"It is a positive development that the parental leave rate at central government agencies has exceeded 60 percent for the first time," Kim said. "But civil servants at demanding agencies such as the Korean National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency also need to be able to take parental leave without feeling pressure — and that requires expanding the pool of replacement staff and providing institutional support."