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The number of workers who took parental leave last year was 131,000.



The percentage of men taking parental leave has increased every year, reaching 30% last year.



The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced today (25th) that the number of people taking parental leave last year was 131,087, an increase of 18.6% (20,532) from the previous year.



The number of employees on parental leave by year increased steadily from 99,198 in 2018 to 105,165 in 2019, 112,40 in 2020, 110,555 in 2021 and 131,87 last year. It's a trend.



In particular, due to the impact of telecommuting following the spread of Corona 19, the number of parental leave decreased in 2021, but as face-to-face activities resumed last year, the increase also increased.



Last year, 37,885 men (28.9%) were on parental leave.



The male ratio, which was only 8.5% in 2016, broke through 20% to 21.2% in 2019, then rose to 24.4% in 2020, 26.2% in 2021, and 28.9% last year.



Compared to the previous year (2021), the increase rate of parental leave last year was 30.5% for men and 14.3% for women.



It was analyzed that the '3+3 parental leave system' and the 'income replacement rate increase for parental leave benefits', which were implemented from last year, contributed to more men taking parental leave.



The '3+3 parental leave system' is a system in which parental leave benefits for each parent for the first three months are raised to 100% of the regular wage when parents simultaneously or sequentially take parental leave within the first 12 months of their child's birth.



The 'income replacement rate for parental leave benefits' was raised from 50% (upper limit of 1.2 million won) to 80% (upper limit of 1.5 million won) of ordinary wages.



Last year, among those on parental leave, 71,336 belonged to small businesses and 59,751 belonged to large companies.



Last year, the average duration of parental leave was 9 months, down 0.5 month from the previous year.



64.3% of all parental leave was taken when the child was under the age of one.



13.6% took parental leave between the ages of 7 and 8, around the time their children entered elementary school.



Meanwhile, the number of workers who used the reduced working hour system for childcare last year was 19,466, an increase of 16.6% (2,777) from the previous year.



Out of 19,466 people, only 2,01 men (10.3%) use parental leave, which is lower than male use.



By company size, there are 12,698 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 6,768 large enterprises.



The average hours of reduced working hours during the childcare period was 12.2 hours per week (average 2-3 hours per day).



Kim Seong-ho, head of the Employment Policy Office at the Ministry of Labor, said, "We will actively work to spread a culture of caring for parents and work-life balance for workers."