Nearly 8 out of 10 S.Korean wage earners support reduced 52-hour workweek: poll

Almost eight out of 10 South Korean wage earners supported the reduced 52-hour workweek, which was introduced in 2018 to lessen heavy workload, a labor ministry poll showed Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor survey of 1,300 people aged 19-79, 71.0 percent said the 52-hour workweek was a good decision.

Among salaried workers, 77.8 percent said the fall in the maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52 was a right thing to do.

The 52-hour workweek, adopted in 2018, has been implemented in stages to companies with five or more employees.

According to the survey, 55.8 percent of respondents said that South Korean employees still work much. The belief was strong among those in their 20s and 30s at over 70 percent of respondents.

The poll showed that 70.3 percent preferred to leave work on time and enjoy leisure. It was higher than 28.7 percent of respondents who were in favor of working overtime and getting paid more.

The poll was conducted from November 26 to November 30. It had plus and minus 2.72 percentage points in margin of error with a 95 percent confidence level.