사진 확대

It was found that more than half of the representatives of small and medium-sized workers, small businesses, and small business owners were not willing to give birth in the future.

According to a survey released at the Small and Medium Business Policy Meeting to Respond to Demographic Changes held by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses and the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee at Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd, 51.0% of SME workers and 50.7% of small business and small business representatives said they were not willing to give birth.

The factors that SME workers feel the greatest burden in childbirth and childcare (multiple responses, two choices) were the cost burden (64.3%) such as housing expenses, childcare expenses, and education expenses. Difficulties in parallel parenting and working life (54.3%) and lack of care infrastructure such as daycare centers and care services (42.7%) were also cited as burden factors. Representatives of small businesses and small businesses chose cost burden (58.7%), difficulty in both parenting and working life (45.0%), and care gap or lack of care infrastructure (38.7%) as factors for childbirth and childcare.

According to a survey on the possibility of positive changes in marriage and childbirth intentions, "expanding economic support" and "improving care services" scored the highest. The questionnaire was scored by converting the 5-point scale response into 100 points.

Small and medium-sized business workers answered that the most necessary parts were the expansion of reliable care institutions and services (77.2 points) and the expansion of economic support (77.1 points) such as housing, childcare, and education expenses. Representatives of small businesses and small businesses cited expansion of economic support (86.2 points), expansion of reliable care institutions and services (85.8), and expansion of childbirth and childcare support systems for small business owners (84.9 points).

As the most necessary support or change for work-family balance (multiple responses, two choices), workers at small and medium-sized enterprises chose shorter working hours and more flexible work (47.7%), while representatives of small businesses and small businesses cited expansion of customized childbirth and childcare support for small business owners (61.0%), and support for gaps in business operations (56.7%) such as matching alternative personnel and support for additional personnel labor costs.

Small and medium-sized business workers chose to expand economic support (52.0%) as the first policy the government should support (multiple responses, two choices). This was followed by the expansion of the childbirth and childcare system (39.7%) such as the period of parental leave and the reduction of working hours during childcare, and housing support (31.7%) such as the special supply of newlyweds. Representatives of small businesses and small businesses answered that the priorities were expanding customized childbirth and childcare support for small business owners (44.3%), expanding economic support (42.0%), and supporting gaps in business operations (41.3%).

Announcing the results of the survey, Park Eun-jung, a researcher at the Childcare Policy Institute, said, "In order to ease the burden of childbirth and childcare, it is necessary to expand care services suitable for the actual working and business environment along with expanding economic support."

At the following meeting, the small and medium-sized business community proposed △ easing the requirements for government support projects for female CEOs of childbirth and childcare △ expanding support for hiring alternative workers for small and medium-sized business owners △ expanding support for employment and long-term employment for small and medium-sized businesses △ preparing flexible work and caring support measures for small and medium-sized businesses.

The committee plans to review the field opinions discussed on the day and reflect them in the national population strategy, and continue regular policy communication with the small and medium-sized business community.

More than 100 people attended the event, including Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, Kim Jin-oh, vice chairman of the Korea Women's Business Association, △ Park Chang-sook, chairman of the Korea Association of Business Innovation, △ Kim Myung-jin, chairman of the Korea IT Women's Business Association, and heads of organizations belonging to the Korea Women's Leadership Association, chairman of the Small and Medium Business Cooperatives by industry, and executives and employees of SMEs.

"The low birth rate problem is a homework and the most important agenda for the future of Korea," said Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business. "As the committee will be newly launched as the Population Strategy Committee from September, I hope it will become a control tower for the low birth rate problem and create necessary policies in the field."

"There is a childbirth and childcare support system in place, but there are many cases where small and medium-sized enterprises do not know the system itself or do not fully utilize it due to corporate conditions," said Kim Jin-oh, vice chairman of the low-level committee. "It is important to ensure that the system is properly utilized in the field."

The survey was conducted from the 2nd to the 8th for a total of 600 people, 300 representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, and 300 representatives of small and medium-sized businesses and small businesses. For each position, employees and agency level (112), manager level (105), executive level (43), and manager level (40) participated in SME workers. Single-person businesses (125 people) accounted for the largest proportion of small business and small business representatives, followed by two to four (116 people), five to nine (31 people), and 10 or more (28 people).

The meeting was organized to examine the impact of changes in the demographic structure, such as low birth rate and aging, on the site of small and medium-sized enterprises and to seek effective policy alternatives by delivering difficulties and suggestions from the site.