A total of 199,976 employees started parental leave to take care of children last year, up 14.2 percent compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. It marked the fastest increase since 2011.
By law, parents with children younger than 8, or below the second grade of elementary school, are entitled to apply for a maximum one year of parental leave.
The number of fathers going on paternity leave surged 28.5 percent to 54,240 in 2022, reaching a record high since relevant data began to be compiled in 2010.
Of the total parental leave, the proportion of male workers taking time off gained 3.0 percentage points to hit a new high of 27.1 percent last year. The figure has been on the increase from a mere 6.0 percent in 2015.
The number of mothers who went on maternity leave expanded 9.6 percent to 145,736 in 2022, accounting for 72.9 percent of the total.
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