• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.spc
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• pp.525-533
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• 2020

Purpose: Workers in special employment relationship (WSERs) are workers in nonstandard employment arrangements who lack worker protection accorded in standard employment arrangements. This study aimed to describe self-rated health (SRH) and depressive symptoms (DS) among Korean WSERs in comparison to regular wage workers (RWW) and identify associations between working conditions and those outcomes. Methods: In this study, secondary data analysis using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey was used. The sample totaled 29,120, including 1,538 WSERs and 27,564 RWWs. Sociodemographic and work-related characteristics were employed as explanatory variables and SRH and DS as dependent variables. Using multiple logistic regression, the determinants of fair/poor SRH and DS were identified. Results: The prevalence rates for fair/poor SRH and DS in WSERs were 25.2% and 28.3%, respectively, and 20.7% and 25.0% in RWWs, respectively. Compared to RWWs, WSERs had 31% (aOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.14~1.49) and 20% (aOR=1.20, 95% CI=1.06~1.36) higher odds of SRH and DS, respectively. Some factors, such as a lack of rest guarantee and sickness presenteeism, had a larger influence in the WSER than in the RWW group. Conclusion: Compared to RWWs, WSERs reported having poorer working conditions and were more likely to report poor general and mental health. Therefore, in Korea, public health policymakers should consider measures to protect the working conditions and health of WSERs, a growing segment of the working population. The study produced new epidemiological evidence regarding the relationships between employment arrangements and health.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.3-43
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• 2018

The digital revolution has brought about both positive expectations and negative concerns. Many experts predict that the current technological revolution, so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution", which is expected to increase productivity in a disruptive way, has significant implications on employment and the labor market. In subsequence, the possible demise of the traditional employment system could markedly undermine the comtemporary welfare state. As a result, basic income has emerged as an alternative. However, little welfare state research has conducted the systematic review on the impact of the present technological revolution on employment and welfare states. In this paper, we will start to review the gist of the digital revolution and critically review recent studies on its effects on employment and welfare states together with actual case studies. In particular, we will investigate the experiences of platform economies of Uber and Amazon Mechanical Turk, and the German experience from 'Work 4.0'. Finally, we will discuss key issues of future welfare state reforms. This research argues that the effects of the technological revolution on employment and welfare state policies would be enormous, but they will be most likely to be mediated by domestic political and policy institutions. It emphasizes the importance of high-quality social investment that would enable individuals to flexibly adapt technological changes and support creative human capital resource. But, high-quality social investment could not be sustained without the decent social protection system that universally provides security to people.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.321-365
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• 2018

Though the British shipbuilding industry dominated the world market in the 19th century, it could not avoid the repetitive rise and fall of the unemployment following after the cyclical fluctuations. Without challenging the employers' rights to fire at will, the boilermakers maintained their own unemployment insurance in order to escape from the new poverty law system. In the beginning the craft union could continue their own unemployment insurance under the National Insurance Act of 1911, but it went into bankruptcy under the massive unemployment of the 1920s and the attacks of shipyard employers. The Act of 1911 was a step towards social solidarity in that it spread the risks beyond the occupational boundaries, applying unemployment insurance to unskilled and non-union workers, and the employer and the government also paid the premium. In the Great Depression, the shipyard trade unions demanded that the government should intervene in the shipbuilding market to provide jobs, but it was not accepted by the government. The government responded only to the another demand of the union for the maintenance, which could be achieved partially through the abnormal operation of the insurance system, abandoning the insurance principle. After all, unemployment in the shipbuilding industry was resolved only by the expansion of rearmaments and the outbreak of World War II. From the 19th century to the World War II, the craft unions did not challenge the employers' right to fire at will and did not attempt to regulate dismissal procedures or make any demands on dismissal compensations. During interwar periods rules and practices related with weak employment protection - one of the main features of the liberal employment adjustment institution - were prevalent in Britain. The principle of 'employment at will' could survive through the historical events such as the World War I, II as the operation of the unemployment insurance became the focus of the social conflicts.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.247-291
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• 2018

This study investigates the employment structure and the social safety net experience of the subcontracting cleaning workers in Korea, who have been main targets of the labor outsourcing despite the necessity and permanence of their labour. This study specifically focuses on the fact that these subcontracting cleaning workers are mostly female and in their old age, and analyzes how the combination of their age, gender, and employment structure leads to the (mis)match with the Korean social security system. Case study with in-dept interview method has been conducted to the old-aged female subcontracting cleaning workers in Korea. The result of this study is as follows. It was the income insecurity that led them to (re)enter the labour market, and the cleaning work was the almost the only wage work they could do considering their age and gender. Cleaning workers are mostly employed in the subcontracting company, and thus their labour contracts depend on the business contract period between the original and subcontracting company. Consequently, their employment relationship is mostly insecure unless they are guaranteed employment succession through the collective agreement of trade union. Moreover, it has been discovered that the employment insecurity due to the indirect employment relationship led to the poor labour conditions, low wage, and the exclusion from the social safety net.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.181-190
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• 2012

After industrialization, the labor force participation rates of women, especially married women is drastically increasing. So, this study was designed to analyze the determinants of married women's employment status considered. For this, the determinants of married women's employment status were divided into individual-related, children-related, household-related and job-related variables to establish the research models. Based on this, the following results were drawn from a multinominal logistic regression analysis of the determinants of married women's employment status. First, an analysis of individual-related variable showed that married women had the employment status of labor wages with residence in the center of the city and high academic background. Second, an analysis of children-related variable showed that they had the employment status of labor wages with many their children and no their children under the age of six. Third, an analysis of household-related variable showed that they had the self-employment status of labor wages with nuclear family and few income earners of family members. Finally, an analysis of job-related variable showed that they had the employment status of labor wages when they got a job before they got married, their husband didn't get a job, and their husband worked in a professional field. As for findings stated above, as there was a difference in the determinants of married women's employment status, the ways for improvement in the married women's employment status would be suggested as follows. First, married women with young children have the low employment status, basically, requiring problem-solving ways for this because the housekeeping and child-rearing burden caused by marriage and childbirth are factors that continue to obstruct a job. For this, the flexible working hours system, which housekeeping and child-rearing can harmonize with economic activities like developed countries, needs to be activated. But the activation of such flexible working system will produce actual results under institutional protection, such as a related-protection law. Second, the Leave of Child Care System is debated as one of the most representatively systems that housekeeping can harmonize with economic activities. Now, although the System is legislated, the use is very poor.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.102-107
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• 2022

South Korea will soon be a super-aged society, as more than 20.6% of its population will be 65 years and older by 2025. As of 2022, 17.5% of the total population in South Korea is 65 years and older, which exceeds the set threshold for an aged society, where more than 14% of the population is 65 years and older. The proportion of older subway construction workers has increased. Aging workers and their work stress negatively impact their workability. A previous study demonstrated that the stress index measured using the uBioMacpa measurement device (Macpa stress index) had a significant correlation with work stress in South Korea. The device tests vascular health and measures stress levels via Macpa signal analysis. In this study, the pulse waves of subway construction workers were measured using uBioMacpa to identify their stress levels. The stress levels were analyzed by age, years of service, job position, employment type, and work type. Herein, these statistics could not be easily represented by a normal distribution; therefore, the Kruskal-Wallis test, a nonparametric statistical method, was used for the analysis of data. The results showed that age, job position, employment type, and working type affected the Macpa stress index and the stress levels of workers increased with age. In terms of job position, technical engineers were more stressed than other workers because of their poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily-wage workers were more stressed than other workers. In terms of working type, tunneling, waterproofing, and construction scored the highest Macpa stress indexes without any significant difference, whereas earthworks scored the lowest. Based on the analysis of Macpa stress index, safety and health management plans were proposed to reduce the stress levels of workers. Moreover, a manual for efficient stress management must be developed for subway construction workers.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.129-159
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• 2018

The foremost aim of the paper is to evaluate the flexibility and stability of the Korean labor market through a cross-country comparison with OECD countries. Evaluating by the OECD Employment Protection Legislation Index, the flexibility of permanent job layoff in Korea is close to the average of OECD countries. Employment of temporary workers appears to be relatively flexible allowing for effective indicators such as the proportion of temporary workers among paid employees. As regards security, the levels of job security, income security and combination security are all far below the OECD average. A panel data analysis of OECD countries reveals that labor productivity increases as regulations on permanent job layoff become looser and regulations on temporary employment become more rigorous.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.257-279
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• 2012

This study examined how employment status changes affects poverty transition of workable youth using 3years panel data from KoWePS(Korea Welfare Panel Study, 2007-2009). Findings and implications of this study as follows. First, although relative poverty rate of aged 18-34 is lower than other age groups, significant amount of youth experienced poverty once in 2007-2009(14.59%). This means that there are some of youth suffering for poverty and the aspect of youth poverty is very dynamic. Second, much of workable poor of youth had high level of education(45.9% in 2009) and they were unemployed or inactive in labor market(55.3% in 2009). These findings consistent with previous studies of youth poverty or youth employment. Third, workable youth who had changed employment status from employed to unemployed or inactive in labor market were likely to enter poverty and less likely to exit from poverty. Moreover youth who were non-standard employed had more possibility to be poor and less possibility to be not poor. These show that employment instability makes youth vulnerable to economic hardship, poverty. The result of this study suggest that anti-poverty programs which are related with the work-related programs and active labor market policy, should consider workable youth who have high level of human capital comparing other ordinary working poor. Because of much of youth are not poor in fixed time point, they can't be supported from existing social assistance program, like National Basic Livelihood Protection Program. As youth who experienced poverty in changing time need social support to prevent long-term poverty, government should contemplate adopting assistance program for workable poor youth.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.163-185
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• 1989

Korean home economics education has around 100 years history. The main aims of home economics education up 1950 had not been changed, they were mainly for the improvement of household-skill to raise both standard of living and life quality as well as womanhood. After 1960's the standard of living drastically improved and the industrialization of Korean society was quite rapidly proceeded from simple to complex one. Because of these changes, I considered that the aims and the contents of home economics education should be reexamined and reshaped. This study motivated me that especially home economics major should be trained to be competent enough to work in industrialized society as much as the input to her college education. As industialization was made progress, family member's diverse role differentiation also occurred from past simple role such as house wife or girl's high school teacher among by home economics major. In this current societal change, most of the home economics major have wish to have opportunities obtaining new kinds of employment rather than obtaining merely teaching work. With this in mind I made a study on college level home economics education of the new adjustment to current and future industrialized Korean society. (1) The full number of officially admissible home economics major in 169 Korean colleges, 70 junior colleges, and one open university were as follows, 7139, 6080, and 230 respectively. The percentages of employed of employed numbers of them for the college and junior college graduates were 26.5 and 39.0 respectively. (2) The certificate qualifications issued to college home economics major are nutritionist (1st grade and 2nd grade), clothes and textilist, home economics teacher (2nd grade for high school) and kindergartener (2nd grade), The qualifications are certified after majoring each field from major departments of college of home economics by Ministrys of Labour and Education of the Korean government. The percentages of their employment are low as mentioned earlier. (3) To find out new employment opportunity for home economics graduates in home economist in business (henceforce/HEIB) status quo of consumer division for mational enterprise was surveyed. According to govermment decree of general law of consumer protection (1980), enterprise should organize bureau (offics, subdivision) on liability to consumer's complaint. Of 89.6% of the enterprise established th subdivision in which 96.2% of employee was male (3.8% was female). Of the employee college graduate and high school graduate were 93.2% and 6.8% respectively. On the employee's major acadmic backgroud (%), economics and business administration, engineering and low-political science were 39.5, 26.2 and 11.2 respectively. (4) To study on the relation between home economics and home economist in business, the aspect of historical development of HEIB, group of HEIB employing enterprise and their nature of business were tried to find out as well as perception and evaluation by enterprise on HEIB. (a) In the united States of America employed home economics major to enterprise was organized autonomously HEIB subdivision within American Home Economics Association since 1920's and the membership of HEIB was 3,000 of the AHEA membership 50,000. (b) In Japan the Japanese founder HEIB had three times the bilateral congress with the U.S.HEIB and had 10th anniversary celebration in 1988. Japanese HEIB member are not necessary to be home economics graduates but should have certificate as consumer adviser effected by the Minister of Trade and Industry. Japanese subdivision of consumer affaire within Japanese enterprise employ the consumer adviser with the certificate. Because of this different system from the United Sates, Japanese HEIB call their title "HEEB" instead of HEIB. The Japanese consumer adviser certificate system had initiated since 1980 and it belongs to 2nd level national qualification certificate. Currently active membership of Japanese "HEEB" association had increased from 115 (in 1979) to 319 in 1988. (5) For the opening of the future new employment of home economics graduates to enterprise and qualification required for the HEIB by national enterprise in Korea, I studied on the courses which seem to be important and required by employee in the field of HEEB in the United States of America and preliminary curriculum for home economics related major student aimning to be the future "HEEB" by Japanese HEEB study group of Japanese Association of Home Economics. It is suggested that it is very important and urgent to realize as home economics educator to have common deep concern and endeavors on opening new employment for our home economics major student1), we should try to publicize strongly and let enterprise and consumer protection board realize that employee in the subdivision of consumer protection should be the one who well experienced home economics major graduates2), we, home economics educator, should try to develop actively new curriculum in line of the suggestion made earlier for our future home economics major student of open broadly their future employment opportunities3), we, home economics educators, should try to have consensus on whether we should have support from government in terms of receiving national qualification certificate on consumer pretection or not4), and I would appreciate if the Korean Home Economics Association and Korean Home Management Society paydeep and positive concern on this matter.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.108-117
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the blind spots of Korea's employment insurance system from a gender perspective. The data used for this study was derived from 12th (2009) and 20th (2017) years of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Studies. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the causes of the blind spot. As a result, the gender gap decreased by 5% in 2017 compared to that in 2009. In the coverage of employment insurance by gender, women are more likely to join when controlling for other demographic factors. If the conditions in the labor market are the same, then women's insurance coverage is likely to be higher than that of men. The policy suggestions are as follows. The current employment insurance system has a greater impact on the labor market characteristics than the difference in the participation rate according to gender itself. The results of this study show that bridging the gender gap in the labor market is an important way of bridging the gender gap in employment insurance coverage. In the short term, the social insurance subsidy program may be effective, but policy efforts are fundamentally needed to improve the employment environment of women and low-wage workers.