Entry #8 20200622

10,000 local jobs to be slashed

Local administrations must slash 10,000 jobs and save up to 10 percent of labor costs this year, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said yesterday. The announcement came in line with the Lee Myung-bak government's plan to streamline the public sector.
The ministry will provide financial incentives to local governments which reduce 5 percent or more of their labor expenses.
"Some 10,000 jobs related to tasks led by the central government, such as investigations into painful parts of Korea's past, have been added to local administrations over the past five years," a ministry official said. "These jobs will be cut within this year."
The number of local government officials rose 13.8 percent during the Roh Moo-hyun administration to about 282,500 by the end of last year.
Local governments that hired more public officials, despite a decrease in population, are already preparing to downsize, the ministry said.
The population dropped between 2002 and 2007 in 152 local autonomies across the nation, but 149 of them hired more public officials.
Regular employees, as well as part-time and temporary workers, are subject to the job cuts, according to the ministry guidelines which were sent out to local governments.
Of the 245 local autonomies, excluding Jeju, three already have said that they plan to eliminate 10 percent of their staff. Ninety-six said they plan to chop more than 5 percent but less than 10 percent. Twelve said there will be no further increases, the ministry said.
Local governments which cut 5 percent of their labor costs will be provided with incentives or special tax revenues worth 10 percent of the amount they saved. Those which save more than the basic target of 5 percent will be given 50 percent of the saved amount in incentives, the ministry said.
"(Local governments) can save some 770 billion won ($767 million) by trimming 5 percent of labor costs, and another 230 billion won by shutting down or integrating useless administrative organs," the ministry said. "This amounts to 1 trillion won, which will be used to stimulate local economies."
The ministry also called for the integration of districts with less than 20,000 people and 3 square kilometers in area. It urged local administrations to follow the organizational structure of the central government, in which each office is comprised of three or four divisions with 20 to 30 employees each.
Along similar lines, the ministry plans to draw up guidelines as early as next week to reduce and reorganize the staff of fire stations.
By Kim So-hyun
(sophie@heraldm.com)
2008.05.02

I totally agree with president Lee's plan, because in Korea, there are too many public service personnels who they are not really needed for the government. Also so many undergraduate students are thinking of being a public service person who they don't do much work and safe with being fired. What I think is that president Lee should cut down more than 10,000jobs.