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FKCCI attends MKGC Forum to discuss employment and labor policies in 2021 

The conference held on May 4th at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul was organized by Maeil Economic Daily to discuss employment and labor policies as well as directions for 2021, including the Act on Punishment of Fatal Industrial Accidents that was passed at the National Assembly in January this year. 

The event was attended by Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Park Hwa-jin, Chairman of the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) David-Pierre Jalicon, Secretary-General of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) Christopher Heider, and Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) James Kim. 

The Vice Minister of Employment and Labor discussed the direction of major employment policies in 2021 and explained the upcoming robust employment safety net and the swift employment recovery plan to overcome the Covid-19 crisis. He also explained the creation of a job support service to foster key digital transformation talents to make the nation an innovative labor market. After the third wave of Covid, employment in Korea is switching to a growing trend in March (+314,000 employment YoY), after a large drop in February (-982,000 YoY) and should benefits from positive policy effects although it remains challenged by the damage accumulated on the face-to-face service industry. 

Regarding the preparation of the enforcement of the Act on Punishment of Fatal Industrial Accidents, Vice Minister Park said that the government “will start collecting opinions from labor and management from the second half of the year.” “The government should consider the foreign business community and foreign companies, and should reflect their reality as much as possible in the process of enacting enforcement ordinances. Only then can confusion and side effects be minimized", he added.  

David-Pierre Jalicon, FKCCI Chairman, thanked Vice Minister Park for the support that allowed foreign and French companies to operate during the crisis, especially by maintaining employment in the hotel industry. He also expressed the concerns of French investors about the Act on Punishment of Fatal Industrial Accidents, concerning the liability of CEOs even if they have taken all safety measures and an accident still occurs. 

Christopher Heider, Secretary-General of ECCK also expressed his concerns "if entries and exits are restricted due to investigations, management, difficulties will inevitably be faced".