Men accounted for more than 30% of workers taking childcare leave last year. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea marked a milestone in parental leave policies as men accounted for more than 30% of workers taking childcare leave last year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported on February 23.
The total number of workers using parental benefits, including maternity leave and childcare leave, reached 256,771 in 2024, up 7.2% from 239,529 the previous year. Of these, 132,535 took parental leave, representing a 5.2% increase from 126,008 in 2023.
The rise in parental leave usage comes despite declining birth rates, which had previously led to a slight dip in 2023. Officials attribute the rebound to expanded work-life balance policies.
A total of 41,829 men used parental benefits last year, accounting for 31.6% of the total – the first time this figure has exceeded 30% since the policy’s introduction. This marks a significant increase from 35,336 male workers, or 28%, in 2023. The shift is even more dramatic when compared to 2015, when only 4,872 men, or 5.6% of the total, took advantage of parental leave benefits.
The trend shows no signs of slowing. In the first 30 business days of 2025, the number of men taking parental leave surged by 69.2% compared to the same period last year, outpacing the 42.6% overall increase in parental leave usage.
The data shows parents are increasingly taking leave during their child’s first year, when care needs are most critical. Among those taking leave, 80% of women and 46.5% of men did so during their child’s first 12 months, up 2.1 and 7.5 percentage points respectively.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounted for 56.8% of those taking parental leave, with 75,311 workers, a 1.2 percentage point increase from 2023. Companies with fewer than 100 employees represented 45.4% of those taking leave, up 0.9 percentage points.
On average, workers took 8.8 months of parental leave, with women taking 9.4 months and men 7.6 months.
The ministry also reported that 26,627 workers opted for reduced working hours during child-rearing periods, up 14.8% from 23,188 in 2023. While fewer workers use this option compared to full parental leave, its growth rate was 2.8 times higher. SME employees made up 62.8% of those choosing reduced hours, higher than their share of full parental leave usage.
“We will ensure this year’s expanded work-life balance policies are effectively implemented so that working parents can maintain their careers while managing childcare responsibilities without worry,” said Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
