Poll: Shorter work hours will bring positive change to South Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A majority of South Koreans anticipate shorter working hours will bring a positive impact on their life and economy, a survey found on Tuesday.

The poll conducted by Seoul's Culture Ministry found that more than 63 percent of respondents said the change in working hours is a "good thing" and will bring positive change to the country.

The South Korean government announced that it would reduce its maximum working hours from 68 to 52 in July. South Korea had one of the longest working hours in developed countries, the third highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2017.

Some 65 percent of respondents said the government should extend the reduced working hours to every workplace. Government agencies and larger firms with more than 300 employees have been implementing shorter working hours since July, but smaller firms won't need to follow the new rule until 2020.

More than half of the respondents said the shorter work week will bring a positive impact on the economy by increasing jobs and labor productivity.

Employees who benefit from the changed working hours said they spend their after-work hours with families (64 percent), resting (58 percent) and working on new hobbies (43 percent).

Those who are not entitled to the new rule said they would like to spend time with their families (58 percent), engage in new hobbies (53 percent) and spend time for rest (47 percent).

The survey also found some respondents didn't expect much change from the rule with actual working hours remains unchanged. Some worried that it would reduce their salary.

The survey polled a total of 1,515 adults from Aug. 3-10.