🚨 10 AM Work Start System

Today Korean Social News for Beginners | 2025.09.10

0️⃣ Flexible Working Hours for Parents with Young Children

📌 '10 AM Work Start System' for Parents, Expanding Nationwide

💬 The government will start the '10 AM Work Start System for Parents' nationwide from 2026. This system is based on Gwangju City's '10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents' program that has been running since 2022. The goal is to help working moms and dads balance work and family life, reducing their worries about quitting their jobs. Small company workers will work one hour less per day without salary cuts, and local governments will pay the difference. Surveys show that the biggest reason working mothers think about quitting is the difficulty of balancing work and childcare, so people are watching to see if this system can be a real solution.

💡 Summary

• The 10 AM Work Start System lets parents with children start work at 10 AM instead of 9 AM.
• Starting nationwide in 2026, workers will work one hour less per day without losing pay.
• The goal is to help working parents balance work and family life and reduce childcare stress.

1️⃣ Definition

The 10 AM Work Start System means parents with children can start work at 10 AM instead of the usual 9 AM to adjust their working hours. This helps parents take care of their children during school drop-off and pick-up times, making it easier to balance work and childcare.

This system doesn't just delay the start time. It reduces the total daily working hours by one hour while keeping the same salary. Local governments or the government will support the missing wage amount, minimizing the burden on both workers and companies.

💡 Why is this important?

• It practically reduces childcare stress for working mothers and fathers.
• It's a key policy to help solve the low birth rate problem by supporting work-life balance.
• It solves childcare gaps and improves family quality of life.
• It prevents talented people from leaving their careers and encourages economic participation.

2️⃣ Background and Current Status

📕 Real Difficulties for Working Parents

• Balancing childcare and work is very difficult. Main problems include:

  • Elementary school start times (8-9 AM) overlap with typical work start times (9 AM), making morning childcare difficult.
  • After school, children often depend on private lessons or academies due to childcare gaps.
  • For dual-income families, childcare is almost impossible without help from grandparents or babysitters.
  • Workplace cultures still make it hard to use parental leave or reduced working hours for childcare.

• Thinking about quitting jobs and career breaks are serious problems. Current situation:

  • Recent surveys show over 70% of working mothers have thought about quitting their jobs.
  • The top reason for considering quitting is 'difficulty balancing work and childcare.'
  • Women's career break rates are higher than OECD averages, causing national talent loss.
  • More women give up returning to work after childbirth, making the low birth rate problem worse.

📕 Gwangju City's Trial Program and Results

• Gwangju City introduced the system first. Main details:

  • Started a trial program in January 2022 for public employees with elementary school children.
  • Applied 10 AM start, 5 PM finish for 7-hour workdays.
  • The city government covered the one-hour salary difference with separate budget.
  • Gradually expanded to include private small companies.

• Positive effects were confirmed. Main achievements:

  • Over 95% of participants said they were satisfied with the system.
  • Family roles like helping children get to school and preparing breakfast greatly improved.
  • Private education and childcare service costs were reduced by about 200,000 won per month.
  • Work efficiency also increased, earning positive reviews from companies.
  • Job satisfaction greatly improved for workers who had been thinking about quitting.

💡 Main Reasons for Introducing the 10 AM Work Start System

1. Increased childcare burden: Problems with morning school guidance and afternoon childcare gaps
2. High resignation rates: Reality that over 70% of working mothers consider quitting
3. Worsening low birth rate: Avoiding childbirth due to work-family balance difficulties
4. Increasing career breaks: Social loss of talented women due to childcare
5. Childcare cost burden: Rapid increase in private education and babysitter costs

3️⃣ How the System Works and Expected Effects

✅ Specific Operation Plans

• Gradual expansion implementation is planned. Main plans:

  • Will be implemented step by step by local governments nationwide from 2026.
  • Initially targets workers with children aged 8 or under, or up to 2nd grade elementary school.
  • Will start with public servants and public organization employees, then expand to private small companies.
  • Will operate customized programs considering each local government's budget situation and regional characteristics.

• Salary compensation and support systems will be established. Main methods:

  • Workers will work 7 hours instead of 8 hours without salary cuts.
  • Local governments will support companies for the one-hour salary difference.
  • For small companies, this reduces labor cost burdens and prevents talent loss.
  • Large companies are encouraged to operate the system themselves, with tax benefits being considered.

✅ Expected Policy Effects

• Home childcare environment is expected to improve. Main effects:

  • Parents can directly guide their children to school, reducing safety accident risks.
  • More time for family breakfast together will improve family relationships.
  • Parents can directly handle childcare that used to depend on private education.
  • Increased communication time with children will improve emotional stability.

• Social and economic ripple effects are expected to be large. Main changes:

  • Women's career break rates will decrease, increasing talented workforce utilization.
  • Dependence on childcare services and private education will decrease, reducing household burdens.
  • Improved work-life balance can contribute to birth rate recovery.
  • Companies will see increased productivity through reduced turnover and improved employee satisfaction.
  • Child safety and educational environments will improve at the community level.

4️⃣ Related Terms

🔎 Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period System

• The Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period System is a legal right for child-rearing.
  • This system allows workers raising children aged 8 or under or up to 2nd grade elementary school to apply for reduced working hours according to Labor Standards Act Article 19-3. It was introduced in 2008 and has been continuously improved.
  • Main contents include: First, working hours can be reduced by a minimum of 2 hours to a maximum of 6 hours per day. Second, the reduction period is within one year, but can be used for a total of 2 years per child. Third, salary is reduced for the shortened hours, but employment insurance provides childcare period reduced working hours benefits. Fourth, employers cannot refuse applications without justifiable reasons.
  • The 10 AM Work Start System is an advanced form of policy that complements these existing systems by allowing reduced working hours without salary cuts. It's characterized by reducing burdens on both workers and companies through local government support.

🔎 Work-Life Balance Support Policies

• Work-life balance support policies are key policies for addressing low birth rates.
  • Work-life balance refers to policy concepts that support harmonious performance of workplace duties and family roles. It became a major government policy task when low birth rates and aging became social problems in the late 1990s.
  • Main policies include: First, parental leave systems that provide salary support while taking up to one year off. Second, flexible work systems that allow adjusting commute times or work locations. Third, family care leave for family nursing or care. Fourth, mandatory workplace daycare centers for childcare near workplaces.
  • The 10 AM Work Start System is a new approach that complements the limitations of these existing policies. It's evaluated as a practical policy that solves childcare gaps after elementary school entry and reflects actual parent needs.

🔎 Low Birth Rate Response Policies

• Low birth rate response policies are comprehensive policies to overcome national crisis.
  • Low birth rate response policies refer to comprehensive policies promoted by the government to respond to population structure changes due to declining birth rates. Korea entered a super-low birth rate society in 2001 when the total fertility rate fell below 1.3, and it dropped to 0.78 in 2022.
  • Main policy directions include: First, birth support through birth incentives, infertility couple support, and extended maternity leave. Second, childcare and education support through free childcare, Nuri curriculum, and child allowances. Third, work-life balance support through parental leave, reduced working hours, and flexible work systems. Fourth, housing support through newlywed special housing supply and housing lease loans.
  • The 10 AM Work Start System is a new attempt at work-life balance support among these, meaningful for reflecting actual childcare realities. While existing policies focused on support before and after childbirth, this system provides practical help during the child-rearing process.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Will using the 10 AM Work Start System cause disadvantages in promotions or evaluations?

A: Legal disadvantages are prohibited, but workplace culture improvement is also needed.

• According to Labor Standards Act and Equal Employment Act, giving disadvantages in promotions, evaluations, or wages due to work condition changes for childcare is legally prohibited. First, using the 10 AM Work Start System is exercising a legitimate right, so you shouldn't face disadvantages for this reason. Second, if you face disadvantages, you can report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor or National Human Rights Commission. Third, the government plans to strengthen education and promotion for workplace awareness improvement along with system introduction. Fourth, evaluating companies' work-life balance support and providing incentives to excellent companies is also being considered.
• However, realistically, workplace culture and supervisor attitudes can have important influences. Therefore, continuous efforts for organizational culture improvement are needed along with system implementation, and workers should also make efforts to increase work efficiency and prove performance.

Q: Can the 10 AM Work Start System be used in all workplaces?

A: There are differences depending on industry and company size, with gradual expansion planned.

• The 10 AM Work Start System will not be applied uniformly to all workplaces but will expand gradually. First, it will start with public servants and public organization employees to accumulate operational experience. Second, it will then expand to the private sector focusing on small companies, with local governments supporting salary compensation. Third, large companies are encouraged to introduce the system themselves, with tax benefits being considered. Fourth, by industry, it will be applied step by step starting with office work and management positions where time adjustment is relatively easy.
• However, some industries may have difficulty with application. Manufacturing production workers, medical staff, teachers, and service industry workers may have limited working hour adjustments due to work characteristics. In such cases, customized policies considering industry-specific characteristics are needed, such as shift work adjustments, substitute personnel support, and other forms of work-life balance support.

Q: What's the difference between the 10 AM Work Start System and existing parental leave?

A: There are differences in usage timing, purpose, and salary level, and they can be used complementarily.

• The two systems share the common purpose of childcare support but differ in specific content and usage methods. First, regarding usage timing, parental leave is mainly used intensively during early childhood (under age 8), while the 10 AM Work Start System particularly addresses childcare gaps after elementary school entry. Second, regarding work form, parental leave completely stops work, while the 10 AM Work Start System continues work with only time adjustments. Third, regarding salary level, parental leave benefits are about 80% of regular wages, while the 10 AM Work Start System allows receiving the existing full salary.
• In practice, it's effective to use both systems in connection. Parental leave can be used when children are infants, and the 10 AM Work Start System can be used after elementary school entry to provide continuous childcare. This way, career breaks can be minimized while providing necessary childcare for each stage of child growth, making it more effective.

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