"Prohibition of Special Employment and Additional Scores for Veterans Should be carefully examined" … Public Institutions’ Employment Regulations to be ‘Modified’

- ACRC conducts ‘employment regulation consulting’ for local public institutions… preventing unfair employment caused by flaws in employment regulations or omission of a system

- In the first half of this year, ACRC completed issuing recommendations for improvement for a total of 5,163 items to 220 public institutions

(29, August 2024, ACRC)

From now on, public institutions’ employment regulations stipulating procedures and ways of hiring employees are projected to be modified to be fairer and more transparent.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan) provides ‘consulting on internal employment regulations of public institutions for fair employment’ (the "consulting") to improve or supplement public institutions’ hiring regulations if inadequate.

The consulting aims to prevent unfair hiring that can be caused by inadequate employment bylaws of public institutions and is provided in a way of issuing a recommendation for improvement to a public institution if its bylaws are found to be in violation of provisions of upper laws related to employment, such as the Fair Hiring Procedure Act, or if omission of critical items is found.

< Examples of Faulty Hiring Regulations of Public Institutions >

   ■ Despite laws prohibiting special hiring, ○○public corporation stipulated special hiring procedures in its bylaw.

   ■ Despite laws stipulating that those subject to the employment assistance under law should be hired with priority if there are ties, △△Committee stated different hiring process in its bylaw.

   ■ Despite laws obligating additional scores for veterans, □□Institute specified it as a voluntary matter.

There are 44 main areas to be scrutinized for fair hiring of each public institution, including: prior consultation with a supervisory agency for hiring plan; establishment of examining board and participation of external members; standard for handling ties; and provision of statutory additional scores, and this year, the ACRC is providing consulting to improve bylaws of local public institutions closely linked to the public livelihood.

The Commission has issued 5,163 recommendations for improvements in total to 220 local public institutions through the consulting on bylaws for the first half of the year.

Areas for improvements have been found in all of the bylaws scrutinized through the consulting by the Commission up to now, and in particular, 23.6% (52 institutions) of the total public institutions scrutinized have been found that they need to improve more than 30 items in their bylaws.

< The Status of Public Institutions in Need of By-law Improvement >

Major vulnerable areas included: additional scores under the Act on the Honorable Treatment of and Support for Persons of Distinguished Service to the State (216 institutions); verification of ary evidence (209 institutions); taking minutes of a personnel committee (203 institutions); designation of employment examination board members and participation of external members (182 institutions); and establishment of a standard regarding how to deal with ties (169 institutions).

< Areas where Major Recommendations were Issued for Bylaw Improvements >

In particular, if scores are not properly added to the scores earned by persons eligible for employment assistance under the law, or ary evidences are insufficiently reviewed and verified, it can change who passes the employment examination, etc. Therefore, more active interest and participation of public institutions are necessary for improving and overhauling their employment-related bylaws.

The Vice Chairperson of the ACRC Chung Seung Yun said, "More sound and firm foundations for fair hiring can be established in public institutions through reforming the front-line public institutions’employment bylaws. The ACRC will spare no efforts to provide multifaceted support and assistance including consulting for the improvement of bylaws of public institutions for fair hiring until the day when a culture of fair employment is established comes in the country."