**Promotion of Mandatory Conversion of Short-Term Workers to Permanent Contracts**

The government is pushing for a system that mandates the conversion of part-time workers who work less than 15 hours a week to permanent contracts if they have been with the same workplace for more than two years. At the same time, it has decided to effectively eliminate employment contracts for less than 15 hours a week.

On the 12th, Korea Economic Daily reported that the National Planning Committee presented this content as part of the government's initiatives to the presidential office on the 11th. According to the report, starting from the second half of this year, the government plans to make employment contracts of 15 hours or more mandatory in the public sector.

This initiative aims to enhance job security for short-term workers and ensure fundamental labor rights proportional to their working hours.

However, there are concerns in the field that this policy may actually destabilize the employment of short-term workers. In particular, public jobs for elderly workers, which have a high proportion of short-term employment, are expected to be significantly impacted.

Furthermore, the government plans to legislate measures to mandate the conversion of short-term workers who have been employed for over two years to permanent contracts by conducting fact-finding surveys and collecting opinions by next year.

**Protection of Short-Term Workers and Concerns in the Field**

Currently, short-term workers are in a blind spot where they do not receive various labor rights, such as paid weekly leave, annual leave, severance pay, and social insurance, under the labor standards law.

In recent years, among small business owners, there has been a growing practice of hiring short-term workers by splitting their working hours to reduce labor costs due to the sharply rising minimum wage. The new government policy can be seen as a significant acceptance of labor union demands that aim to strengthen the job stability of these short-term workers.

However, there are substantial concerns in the field that business owners are more likely to terminate contracts before the two-year mark, which would ultimately reduce workers' choices.

Once converted to a permanent contract after two years, it becomes more difficult to terminate employment. In particular, there is an analysis suggesting that the number of jobs for elderly workers, who make up half of the short-term workforce, will sharply decline.

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