7 in 10 workers get no extra pay for covering parental leave: survey

Korean workers took on additional duties when colleagues used parental leave or reduced hours for childcare, but most received no extra pay. A survey released Sunday by Gabjil 119 found that 47.8 percent of 1,000 workers experienced increased workloads, and 70.5 percent of those workers received no additional compensation. Limited awareness and workplace use of government subsidies raised concerns that inadequate staffing support could discourage employees from using family-friendly leave policies.

The nationwide survey was conducted from Sept. 1 to 7 among 1,000 workers.

Among the 478 respondents who reported increased workloads, 29.5 percent received extra compensation such as allowances.

Awareness stood at 37 percent for the workload-sharing subsidy covering parental leave, 29.5 percent for reduced working hours for childcare, and 29.7 percent for duties covered during a colleague’s paternity leave.

Only 12.4 percent said their workplaces both informed employees about the subsidy programs and used them, while 41.2 percent said their workplaces did neither.

Published Oct 11, 2026 3:58 pm KST

Most Korean workers who took on additional duties while colleagues were on parental leave or working reduced hours for childcare received no extra compensation, with 7 in 10 going unpaid for the added workload.

According to a survey released by workplace advocacy group Gabjil 119 on Sunday, 47.8 percent of 1,000 workers said their workloads had increased due to colleagues taking maternity or parental leave. The survey was conducted nationwide from Sept. 1 to 7.

The results suggest that employers are shifting the burden of staffing shortages caused by parental leave or reduced working hours onto existing employees rather than hiring replacements or adjusting workloads.

Of the 478 respondents who reported taking on additional duties, just 29.5 percent said they had received extra compensation, such as allowances, while the remaining 70.5 percent received no additional pay.

Awareness of government subsidies aimed at compensating workers who take on extra duties was also limited.

Only 37 percent of respondents were aware of the government’s workload-sharing subsidy for parental leave, while 29.5 percent knew of a similar program for reduced working hours for childcare. Another 29.7 percent were familiar with a subsidy covering duties taken on during a colleague’s paternity leave.

Under the programs, the government provides subsidies to employers who pay additional allowances to workers covering for colleagues on leave or working reduced hours.

However, only 12.4 percent of respondents said their workplaces actively informed employees about the subsidy programs and put them to use.

Another 46.4 percent said their employers had informed workers about the programs but had not implemented them, while 41.2 percent said their workplaces neither provided information about the programs nor made use of them.

The findings have raised concerns that placing additional workloads on existing employees without adequate compensation could discourage workers from taking parental leave or using childcare benefits for fear of burdening their colleagues.

Such practices could also undermine efforts to promote work-life balance, as family-friendly policies risk losing their effectiveness if the burden of covering for employees on leave falls largely on their coworkers.

"The government should strengthen support for hiring replacement workers and expand measures to compensate employees who take on additional duties," a Gabjil 119 official said.

"It should also raise awareness of these programs among workers and employers and ensure they are effectively implemented in workplaces."

当同事休育儿假或减少工时照顾孩子时，韩国员工会承担额外的工作，但大多数人没有获得额外报酬。Gabjil 119周日发布的一项调查显示，在1000名受访员工中，47.8%的人工作量增加，其中70.5%的人没有获得任何额外补偿。由于员工对政府补贴的了解有限，且在工作场所使用率不高，人们担心政府补贴不足可能会导致员工不愿使用有利于家庭的休假政策。

这项全国性调查于9月1日至7日进行，调查对象为1000名工人。

在报告工作量增加的 478 名受访者中，29.5% 的人获得了额外补偿，例如津贴。

员工对涵盖育儿假的工时分担补贴的了解率为 37%，对减少育儿工时的了解率为 29.5%，对在同事休陪产假期间承担工作职责的了解率为 29.7%。

只有 12.4% 的人表示他们的工作场所既告知员工有关补贴计划的信息，又使用这些计划，而 41.2% 的人表示他们的工作场所既没有告知员工有关补贴计划的信息，也没有使用这些计划。

发布于2026年10月11日下午3:58（韩国标准时间）

大多数韩国员工在同事休育儿假或因照顾孩子而减少工时时承担额外工作，但没有获得额外补偿，其中 70% 的员工没有因增加的工作量而获得报酬。

根据职场权益倡导组织Gabjil 119周日发布的一项调查，在接受调查的1000名员工中，47.8%的人表示，由于同事休产假或育儿假，他们的工作量有所增加。该调查于9月1日至7日在全美范围内进行。

研究结果表明，由于育儿假或工时减少造成的员工短缺，雇主们将负担转移到了现有员工身上，而不是雇用替代人员或调整工作量。

在报告承担额外职责的 478 名受访者中，只有 29.5% 的人表示他们获得了额外的报酬，例如津贴，而其余 70.5% 的人没有获得额外的报酬。

人们对政府旨在补偿承担额外工作的工人的补贴的了解也有限。

仅有37%的受访者了解政府针对育儿假的工作分担补贴，而29.5%的受访者知道一项类似的减少工作时间以方便照顾孩子的计划。另有29.7%的受访者了解一项补贴，该补贴涵盖同事休陪产假期间承担的工作。

根据这些计划，政府向雇主提供补贴，鼓励雇主向替休假或减少工时的员工支付额外津贴。

然而，只有 12.4% 的受访者表示，他们的工作场所积极向员工宣传补贴计划并让员工使用这些计划。

另有 46.4% 的人表示，他们的雇主已告知员工有关这些计划的信息，但并未实施这些计划；而 41.2% 的人表示，他们的工作场所既没有提供有关这些计划的信息，也没有利用这些计划。

研究结果引发了人们的担忧，即在没有适当补偿的情况下给现有员工增加额外的工作量，可能会使员工因害怕给同事增加负担而不敢休育儿假或使用托儿福利。

此类做法也可能破坏促进工作与生活平衡的努力，因为如果员工休假期间的替补工作主要落在同事身上，那么有利于家庭的政策就有可能失去效力。

“政府应该加强对雇用替代工人的支持，并扩大对承担额外职责的员工的补偿措施，”Gabjil 119 的一名官员表示。

“它还应该提高工人和雇主对这些项目的认识，并确保这些项目在工作场所得到有效实施。”