Expansion of Maternity Benefits for Special Employment and Freelance Women

Support for maternity benefits for working women, including those in special employment (special workers) and freelancers who are in the employment insurance blind spot, has been significantly expanded.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that through the recently passed supplementary budget (extra budget), the budget for the 'maternity benefits for non-employees' policy has been increased by 12.8 billion won, totaling 34.6 billion won.

With this budget increase, the number of eligible recipients has risen from the originally planned 11,700 to about 20,000.

This program provides support of 1.5 million won to special workers, freelancers, and self-employed individuals who are not covered by employment insurance and do not qualify for maternity leave benefits (180 days of insured period).

Surge in Demand for Maternity Benefits Applications Leads to Supplementary Budget

Initially, the plan was to support 11,784 individuals with this year’s budget; however, the demand for applications surged faster than expected. By the end of last month, support had already been provided to 10,420 individuals (88.4%), and if this trend continues, the budget is expected to be depleted ahead of August. In response, the government increased the budget through the supplementary budget to address the crisis of low birth rates and to support livelihood recovery.

Addressing the Low Birth Rate Crisis and Supporting Livelihood Recovery

The Ministry of Employment and Labor anticipates that the budget secured through this supplementary budget will allow for additional support for 8,515 individuals. In particular, to counteract the income disruption and decrease resulting from childbirth, the ministry plans to promptly provide benefits as a means of living support.

Kwon Jin-ho, Director of the Integrated Employment Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, stated, "With this supplementary budget, we are now able to provide necessary maternity benefits to women giving birth without early depletion of funds. We will continue to strengthen maternal protection systems to support livelihood recovery."

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