The landscape of parental leave has changed: the advancement of ‘dad civil servants’ and the new landscape of public service society > News

The most notable aspect of these statistics is the sharp increase in the use of parental leave by male civil servants. Of the 19,105 public servants who used parental leave last year, the proportion of men was 10,704, or 56%, well over the majority. As recently as 2016, 10 years ago, the proportion of men taking childcare leave was only 18.9%, but now it has surpassed that of women and has proudly established itself as the main driver of childcare. Numerically, this is a nearly seven-fold increase compared to 10 years ago, proving that the past of men who were 'watchful' and worried about taking a leave of absence has disappeared and has become a natural organizational culture combined with institutional support and improved awareness.

The gender landscape of public service is also showing notable changes, especially in high-ranking positions. The proportion of women among all national civil servants reaches 49%, approaching the 50% level and continuing quantitative growth. Of particular note is the advancement of women in third-level civil service positions, which are the gateway to high-ranking civil servants. Among all third-level civil servants, the number of women exceeded 200 for the first time, accounting for 22.5%, and the proportion of women in senior civil servants, including the office manager level, was 14.3%, maintaining the number in the 200 range for two consecutive years. This goes beyond a simple increase in the number of female workers, and suggests that the ‘glass ceiling’ for women to advance into decision-making positions is gradually being lifted.

Meanwhile, the ranks of public officials are being dynamically reorganized according to demographic changes and people's livelihood demands. The number of educational civil servants, who were directly hit by the decline in the school-age population, decreased by 1,449, while the number of police and fire-fighting civil servants increased by 905 and general civil servants increased by 1,447, mainly in the industrial safety, taxation, and postal service fields, to strengthen public security and safety. Overall, the number of employees increased by 872 and the current number of employees remained at 764,336, which shows that the government is flexibly deploying personnel to meet social needs. This personnel adjustment confirms how agile the public service is in responding to the needs of the times.

The decrease in the number of people leaving public service is also a positive sign to pay attention to in these statistics. Last year, the number of civil servants who voluntarily retired was 13,651, a decrease of 3,641 from the previous year. The high retirement rate of civil servants with low seniority has been a concern in the public service community, but this indicator indicates that efforts to spread a culture that values ​​work-life balance and improve treatment are achieving some results. This result indirectly proves that members' satisfaction with the organization has entered a recovery period due to a combination of increases in basic pay and allowances, and the government's efforts to innovate public service culture.