Strengthening supervision of illegal practices on-site, ‘Minister of Employment and Labor, Kim Young-hoon, announced the introduction of a certified specialist system to improve the expertise of labor ministry employees by certifying their careers and skills.’,
On the 8th, Minister Kim spent time communicating with 150 employees from local employment and labor offices at the Dongja Art Hall in Seoul as part of the “Our Ministry of Labor Project.” This project aims to make the Ministry more relatable and trustworthy to all workers. Minister Kim prepared this event to communicate with frontline staff and share the governmental philosophy amidst the heavy responsibilities assigned to the ministry, such as reducing major industrial accidents.
On that day, Minister Kim made three promises to transform into the “Our Ministry of Labor”: The first promise is to respect all forms of labor. This includes ensuring the rights of workers in new types of employment, such as special employment relationships and platform workers, who have not been protected adequately. To achieve this, the ministry plans to strengthen on-site supervision and guidance against illegal practices like the ‘fake 3.3% contracts’ and ‘splitting businesses into units with fewer than five employees’, concentrate efforts on improving related laws and policies, and discover supportive policies.
The second promise is to introduce a ‘certified specialist system’ to validate the careers and skills of employees in labor, industrial safety, and employment services. The Ministry of Labor plans to enhance employee expertise by providing specialized education and reflecting it in promotions, considering field response capability, creativity, and work performance. This measure aims to improve the overall quality of labor administration, leading to noticeable workplace changes for citizens.
The third promise is to enhance work efficiency through AI-driven labor administration innovation. The ministry is set to build AI-based facilities that convert voice and image data into documents and support relevant cases and administrative interpretations, thus improving the accuracy and efficiency of case investigations. Unnecessary tasks will be eliminated, creating an environment where field staff have the authority to focus on their core duties, establishing a system for prompt and suitable responses.
On the same day, Minister Kim gave an online special lecture on “Labor and Humanities” accessible to the general public, stating, “To ensure our employees can focus on guaranteeing the rights and the right to work for all citizens, we will reduce unnecessary administrative tasks and increase active communication with employees to share and realize the labor and employment philosophy of the Lee Jae-myung government.”