More than half of South Korean civil servants take parental leave...more than 7,000 per year

Last year, the percentage of men among national government officials who took childcare leave exceeded 50% for the first time, indicating that paternity leave is becoming common in the public sector.
According to the 2024 National Civil Service Personnel Statistics released by the government's Personnel Innovation Agency on the 29th, the number of central government employees will increase by 100 in 2023.
The total number of national government employees in government ministries and agencies who took childcare leave was 14,601. Of these, 7,298 (50.0%) were men and 7,303 (50.0%) were women.
This is the first time that the ratio is exactly half since statistics were compiled. The percentage of men taking childcare leave rose from 15.9% in 2015 to 29.0% in 2018, 39.0% in 2020, and 2.
In 2022, the number of foreign workers in this category increased steadily to 46.0%. In just 10 years, the number has more than tripled. This change is due to improvements in the system, recognition as a career, and the expansion of benefits.
Since 2015, the Personnel Bureau has allowed men to take childcare leave for up to three years, and has been promoting childcare leave to reduce the economic burden.
The job allowance system has also been improved. In particular, from 2023, if a married couple of civil servants both take childcare leave to raise the same child, the second employer will be able to receive up to 4.5 million won (approximately 480,000 yen) per month.
This is a significant increase from the previous maximum of 2.5 million won (about 270,000 yen, for three months) per month.
In addition, the start of recognizing the entire period of childcare leave as part of a career progression for promotion has led to concerns that men may feel disadvantaged within the organization.
Starting this year, the entire period of childcare leave will be recognized as career leave, regardless of the number of children.
The trend towards greater gender diversity in public service is also evident in the increase in the number of high-ranking female civil servants.
As of the end of 2023, out of a total of 763,464 national civil servants, 372,419 (48.8%) are women, and this number is steadily increasing year by year.
Of the 1,554 high-ranking civil servants equivalent to grades 1 and 2 in central government ministries and agencies, 201 (12.9%) are women, exceeding 200 for the first time.
The number of female senior civil servants will increase from 132 (8.5%) in 2020 to 160 (10.0%) in 2021, 174 (11.1%) in 2022, and 203 (11.4%) in 2023.
In 2013, the number was 183 (11.7%), continuing the upward trend. By ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the most female senior civil servants with 28, while the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Financial Services Commission had the fewest female senior civil servants.
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