Special-type workers to benefit from employment insurance from July

Non-standard contract employees, such as parcel delivery workers, home tutors and insurance salespersons, will be newly included among employment insurance beneficiaries, beginning in July, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday.

The ministry said a revision of the Employment Insurance Act aimed at making workers in 12 non-standard forms of employment eligible for employment insurance is to take effect Thursday.

Non-standard contract employees refer to workers of special employment types who provide labor to employers as solo proprietors but are not recognized as regular workers protected by the employment insurance system.

The planned expansion is part of the government's universal employment insurance scheme to cover all working people and strengthen the social safety net for the special-type workers. Late last year, artists were allowed to receive benefits from the employment insurance system.

The ministry said the revised law will apply to workers in 12 special-type occupations, which include loan solicitors, credit card recruiters, door-to-door salespersons of rental products, home appliance deliverers and installers, after-school instructors, construction machine operators and truck owners.

The special-type workers are required to earn at least 800,000 won ($710) a month to be eligible for employment insurance, the ministry said.

They are also required to pay premiums for over 12 months during the last 24 months of employment contracts in order to be eligible for insurance benefits. They can also claim unemployment allowances even after moving to another employer due to income reduction. Parental allowances will also be available for qualified subscribers. Their unemployment allowances can be paid for 120 to 270 days and the upper limit is 66,000 won per day. (Yonhap)