Complementary measures for 52-hour workweek

Starting next year,... small and medium-sized companies will need to follow the mandatory 52-hour workweek regulations.But the National Assembly has been holding up the legislation aimed to reduce the side effects of the policy.So the government has announced some measures today to get around the problem.And for more on this, our Hong Yoo is on the line for us.So Yoo, what are these complementary measures?The complementary measures were announced by the government Monday morning to settle the 52-hour workweek regulation for companies with 50 to 299 employees.The measures include an extension of the guidance period from 6 months to a longer period, during which companies will avoid punishment when they have employees who work more than 52 hours.The guidance period will vary depending on the size of the company and the amount of effort a company has put into following the 52-hour workweek regulations.The measures also ease requirements for granting special extended work hours for certain occasions that require intensive labor.Special extended work hours were already permitted for limited situations such as natural disasters but now can be allowed when there is a temporary surge in workload.And these measures could be implemented by the government as an administrative measure if the government fails to pass the revised Labor Standards Act, which includes improving the flexible working hour system, by the end of this year.Lastly, the government says that they will boost financial aid to SMEs that are short of employees.The government is planning to expand the employment of overseas Koreans for sectors short of labor such as service-related companies.Back to you, Jiyoon.