The biggest issue with the work incentive system is the outdated income and property standards that do not reflect changes with the times. Currently, the income requirements for single-income households have remained stagnant for four years, creating a 'paradoxical situation' in which they are excluded from receiving benefits or have their benefits reduced due to rising prices and nominal wages. Accordingly, the National Tax Service has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Economy that the requirements should be greatly relaxed to less than 25 million won for single households, 37 million won for single income earners, and 50 million won for double income earners. In particular, there are constant criticisms that the current method of including loans as assets when calculating wealth unreasonably excludes low-income people who hold leasehold loans, and there is a strong demand for system improvement to exclude deposit loan amounts from total assets.

The complexity of the payment process and the refund issues that arise during the settlement process are a huge burden on both the front line and beneficiaries. Currently, wage and salary earners can choose the semi-annual application system in addition to the regular application, which has the advantage of reducing the gap between income generation and supply and demand, but there is the administrative hassle of having to recover the overpaid amount at the time of settlement. Additionally, the structure of reducing 5% of the calculated amount when applying after the deadline also puts pressure on applicants not to miss the regular application period. Fortunately, starting this year, the automatic application system, which was limited to the elderly or severely disabled, was expanded to all ages, greatly improving application convenience, and the introduction of an AI chatbot consultation service further improved information accessibility.

Another axis of system improvement is ensuring equity by household type and providing strong support to the vulnerable. Currently, single-parent families are classified as single-income households when calculating incentives, even though they are solely responsible for livelihood and childcare, and there are many voices saying that the limits of support are clear. Among politicians and experts, specific amendments are being discussed, such as giving preferential treatment to single-parent households to the same level as dual-income households, or increasing the payment amount itself to reflect the inflation rate. This goes beyond simply increasing the amount and means a shift to 'targeted welfare' that seeks to provide more targeted support to those who need the social safety net most.

In addition to direct support such as work incentives, the opinion that auxiliary employment security net projects tailored to regional characteristics should be implemented in parallel is gaining ground. For example, the 'Bu-Ul-Gyeong metropolitan commuting worker support project' promoted by Ulsan City and the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce goes beyond simple income preservation and improves actual living conditions by providing transportation expenses and local currency to workers experiencing the physical hardships of long-distance commuting. These policies play a complementary role in resolving specific difficulties in local industrial sites that cannot be reached by the central government's work incentives, and contribute to preventing the outflow of human resources between regions and improving the quality of employment.