Seoul: For the first time since 2010, the number of South Korean workers taking parental leave decreased in 2023, reflecting a broader trend of declining marriages and childbirths. According to Statistics Korea, 195,986 workers utilized parental leave last year, a 3% drop from the previous year, marking the first annual decline in this data series.
Under South Korean law, parents of children aged eight or younger, or those in the second grade of elementary school or lower, can take up to one year of maternity or paternity leave. To combat the country’s persistently low birthrate, the government offers financial support to those on parental leave who are enrolled in employment insurance.
In 2023, South Korea’s total fertility rate fell to 0.72, the lowest since 1970. Additionally, the number of newly married couples decreased to 974,000, down from 1.03 million the previous year.
Women represented 75.3% of all parental leave takers, with maternity leave among women dropping by 1.4%. The number of men taking parental leave also fell by 7.5% to 50,455, following a milestone where the figure exceeded 50,000 for the first time in 2022.
Women aged 30-34 made up the largest group of mothers on maternity leave at 41.3%, followed by those aged 35-39 at 33.5%. Among male workers, those aged 35-39 accounted for 38.2%, with 35.7% in their 40s. The average age of parents taking leave has been rising, reflecting a trend of delayed marriage and childbirth.
Seventy percent of the men on parental leave worked for companies with 300 or more employees, while 58.2% of working mothers were in similar-sized firms. In terms of industry, 22.4% of fathers on leave were in manufacturing, followed by 20.5% in public administration and defense. For mothers, the largest share, 19.4%, worked in public health and welfare, followed by 14.6% in public administration and 11.8% in education.