72% of Office Workers Say "Fixed-Term 2+2 Mega Special Zone Act Will Reduce Permanent Jobs"

Workplace Gapjil 119 Surveyed 1,000 Office Workers

42.5% Responded "It Will Contribute to Job Creation"

Out of every 10 office workers, 7 are concerned that if the government’s proposed “Mega Special Zone Special Act” extends the allowable employment period for fixed-term workers inside the special zones, the number of permanent jobs will decrease.

On the 27th, the civic group Workplace Gapjil 119 announced the results of a survey conducted by the polling agency Global Research. From September 1 to 7, 1,000 office workers aged 19 or older nationwide were surveyed about their awareness of the Mega Special Zone Special Act. The “mega special zone” refers to a high-tech industrial hub where companies and investments, previously concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, are dispersed to the regions in an effort to achieve balanced regional development.

Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, is giving a briefing on the "Proposal for Social Dialogue Related to the Mega Special Zone Act" at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 15th.

The government is considering measures such as the “Fixed-Term 2+2” policy, which would extend the allowable employment period for fixed-term workers in mega special zones, upon agreement, from the current 2 years to an additional 2 years. However, according to the survey, 72.1% of office workers expressed concern that “if the fixed-term employment period is extended to 4 years, permanent jobs will decline while temporary jobs will increase.”

When asked how much they agreed with the concern held by labor groups—that extending the employment period of fixed-term workers would not alleviate job insecurity, but rather prolong the instability for an additional 2 years—83.5% of respondents said they agreed. By age group, the agreement rate was highest among those in their 20s at 87.7%. This was followed by those in their 50s (83.8%), 30s (82.6%), and 40s (82.5%).

By employment type, 74.3% of regular workers and 68.8% of non-regular workers agreed with concerns about a decrease in permanent jobs and an increase in temporary positions. By company size, the agreement rate was 77.0% among workers at private businesses with fewer than 300 employees (but at least 30), and 76.2% for those at workplaces with more than 300 employees. Among establishments with fewer than 5 employees, 64.8% agreed.

Responses regarding the job creation impact of the mega special zones were mixed. The largest share, 42.5%, agreed that “large-scale investment and regulatory easing will significantly contribute to job creation.” On the other hand, 37.7% responded that “since the investments focus on infrastructure, the increase in jobs may not be as much as expected,” while 19.8% replied “I don’t know.”

Workplace Gapjil 119 emphasized, “Rather than a system that enables the extended use of fixed-term workers, there needs to be a principle that permanent work is done by permanent employees, and measures must be prepared to address the job insecurity and discrimination faced by fixed-term employees.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.