Summary

4. A Study on How to Help Non-regular Workers Hired to a Regular Position Develop Vocational Skills Research Fellow: Chang Joo-hee Tel: 044-415-5303 / email: jchang@krivet.re.kr. Summary. We conducted a literature and data analysis, a case study, an FGI, in-depth interviews, and expert advisory meetings to examine the current vocational skills development of non-regular workers and the needs of non-regular workers hired to a regular position for vocational skills development and to suggest options for supporting non-regular workers hired to a regular position in their skills development. ▸. Keywords: non-regular jobs, transition to a regular position, public sector, vocational skills. development, and human resources development. Ⅰ. Backgrounds and Objectives □ The Moon Jae-in administration’s policy to hire non-regular workers in the public sector to a regular position ◦ In July 2017, the Moon Jae-in administration announced a plan to turn 205,000 non-regular employees in the public sector into regular workers by 2020. ◦ As of September 27, 2018, a total of 156,000 non-regular employees in the public sector came on the list of public-sector workers to be hired to a regular position and 100,000 such workers had been turned into regular employees, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. □ The need for creating ways to help non-regular workers hired to a regular position develop vocational skills ◦ The purpose of this study is to understand the current vocational skills development of non-regular workers, examine the needs for vocational skills development in connection with transition to a regular position, and suggest options for supporting non-regular workers hired to a regular position in their vocational skills development..

Ⅱ. Key Research Details 1. The current vocational skills development of non-regular workers □ In vocational training, the proportion of non-regular workers is relatively low. ◦ We analyzed raw data from a follow-up study to a survey by Statistics Korea of the economically active population and found that over the past year 60% of those who received vocational training were regular workers and 40% were non-regular ones. - The percentage was particularly low among non-regular workers who are high school graduates or lower diploma holders (37.3%), aged 50 or older (39.5%), and men (41.5%). ◦ An analysis of data from the HRD-net revealed that non-regular workers accounted for a mere 2% in employer-sponsored vocational training, which takes up most of the employee vocational training program run by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. - The rate of participation in the program differs from industry to industry. This needs to be taken into account in creating vocational skills development programs for non-regular workers hired to a regular position because workers of different industries have different needs, motivations, and circumstances with regard to vocational training. ◦ In-depth interviews of non-regular workers hired to a regular position found that they took over their predecessor’s job without relevant training and had to learn necessary skills on their own when they started working in their non-regular positions, except for those whose jobs require a license or mandatory training. 2. The needs for vocational skills development in connection with transition to a regular position □ The current vocational skills development of non-regular workers hired to a regular position ◦ A case study of five government-run institutions demonstrated that most non-regular workers hired to a regular position receive orientation-style group training which is similar to that offered to newly-hired employees, which means that such training does not meet the specific needs of non-regular workers hired to a regular position. ◦ The government-run institutions did not have plans for systematic training and career development that are designed to help non-regular workers hired to a regular position, and they also did not have any plans for a survey on the training needs of such workers to develop customized programs..

□ Vocational skills development needed by non-regular workers hired to a regular position ◦. A focus group interview (FGI) of human resources experts found that training for non-regular. workers hired to a regular position need to place priority on how to help them adapt to their organizations and there is a need for training on corporate culture which involves all members of the organization, including existing regular workers. ◦ An FGI of human resources (HR) personnel at government-run institutions shows that there is a need to conduct orientation and job training for non-regular workers hired to a regular position. ◦ The HR personnel differed in their views on the need to create a change management program for existing regular workers, but they agreed on the need for a channel that offers advice or addresses issues in connection with transition to a regular position. ◦ The HR personnel said that the government needs to actively provide financial and human resources support for training programs designed to help non-regular workers hired to a regular position and that they saw a need to analyze jobs affected by employment status transitions, create standard roles and responsibilities, develop tools for assessing job levels, and develop standard guidelines on human resources development for different jobs. ◦ Non-regular workers hired to a regular position said that they need training designed to help them understand their organizations, grow a sense of responsibility and affection toward their organizations, learn employment rules, build general knowledge, and plan for retirement after leaving their organizations. ◦ They also wanted the government and government-run institutions to have continued interest, offer financial support, expand training subsidies, and ensure that employees are allowed leave for training.. Ⅲ. Policy Suggestions □ Systematic training for non-regular workers hired to a regular position ◦ Training should be conducted in a way that meets the specific needs of non-regular workers hired to a regular position. ◦ Systematic training programs need to be developed and implemented after receiving input from such workers, their senior colleagues or the heads of their units, and the human resources personnel and management of government-run institutions. ◦ Due to their characteristics, some jobs require training in addition to simple repetition to enable workers to improve their skills. Training programs are needed for such jobs to equip employees to be capable of performing higher-skilled tasks. - Job types and skill levels should be taken into account to offer intensive training for employees whose skills are above certain levels or develop different programs for different jobs. ◦ The type of employment before the transition to a regular position and the process of such transition need to be taken into account..

- If non-regular workers hired to a regular position served as a term employee before the transition, they need help in forming their identity as a regular employee by being offered more systematic information on organizational structure, key projects, and internal personnel. - If dispatched or outsourced workers are hired as a regular employee directly by the organizations they have worked for, they must receive training to better understand their organizations. In addition, they need to be helped to develop a sense of belonging by communicating with existing regular workers. - If non-regular workers are hired to a regular position at a subsidiary, they need to be guaranteed the same levels of training opportunity as those hired to a regular position directly by the parent organization. Subsidiaries should be monitored continuously for training programs, budgets, dedicated personnel, and implementation since they may lack resources, unlike their parent organizations that have the sufficient scale and resources for proper training. ㅇ. Government-run institutions should be encouraged to be attentive to the training needs of non-regular. workers hired to a regular position by including the rate of training participation by such workers in the criteria for evaluating government-run institutions. ◦ If it is difficult to have all such workers participate in training programs, alternative solutions should be considered including a scheme wherein the heads of units such as team leaders and directors are required to receive certain levels of training and then propagate what they have learned to their colleagues. □ The creation of support programs for vocational skills development that are targeted at non-regular workers hired to a regular position ◦ To help non-regular workers hired to a regular position in their vocational skills development through the Employment and Labor Ministry’s program to subsidize employer-sponsored vocational training, the government could consider relaxing evaluation rules when it comes to training programs for such workers. - Currently, the Ministry of Employment and Labor does not subsidize employer-sponsored training programs that have low relevance to the job in question, but such programs should be subsidized if they are deemed necessary in the process of turning non-regular workers into regular employees. ㅇ. As a way of supporting non-regular workers hired to a regular position and their organizations, the. Employment and Labor Ministry’s programs for vocational skills development could temporarily include training for such workers to increase the rate of their participation in training programs, or a new support model could be developed by taking into account the specificities of transition to a regular position in order to subsidize vocational training programs to help finance costs for labor, program implementation, and facilities and equipment. ◦ Hiring non-regular workers to a regular position may increase the number of employees that need to receive training, which in turn may lead to greater training costs and stretched human resources due to heavier training-related workload. If the size of non-regular workforce hired to a regular position is large and their new positions require vocational skills training, direct financial support could be considered.

along with an increase in the number of employees that are responsible for training and human resources management concerning non-regular workers hired to a regular position. □ Other suggestions ◦ Prior to running vocational skills development programs for non-regular workers hired to a regular position, human resources issues should be addressed first to ensure that such workers are not discriminated against compared to existing regular workers in terms of assignment, promotion, performance evaluation, and compensation. ◦ Government guidelines and instructions for institutions participating in the government’s drive to turn non-regular workers into regular employees should include details on how to create and implement plans for vocational skills development programs that are targeted at such employees. ◦ It needs to be recommended that the area of human resources development should be included in the consulting support for government-run institutions that are involved in turning non-regular workers into regular employees. ◦ Success stories about such a transition should be identified and propagated. ◦ Performance evaluation criteria for government-run institutions need to include the creation and implementation of plans for vocational skills development involving non-regular workers hired to a regular position, and similar evaluation items should be added to the list of criteria for certifying government-run institutions as an exemplary organization for their human resources development programs.. ∙ Relevant agency: The Ministry of Employment and Labor.