Companies boost childbirth incentives

[Anchor]

This is a company that gives 100 million won in cash for each child an employee has.

The Booyoung Group has provided 100 million won each as childbirth incentives to 28 individuals this year.

There are now increasingly more companies offering childbirth incentives or supporting infertility treatments, even if the amounts are not large, to help overcome the low birth rate.

This is a report by reporter Lee Ji-eun.

[Report]

Hong Gi and Min Ji-hyun, a couple who had their second child in July last year.

As a couple working at Booyoung Group, they received their second childbirth incentive this year.

Having given birth to two children, they received 200 million won in support from the company, and they are not completely ruling out the idea of having a third child.

[Hong Gi/Booyoung Group Assistant Manager: "We initially thought about just having one child and raising them well. But now that this has happened, if we have a third child, the chairman has also said he would provide permanent rental housing, so I think it would be nice to have a third."]

At Booyoung Group, 28 babies were born last year, and 2.8 billion won was paid out in childbirth incentives.

From 2021 to 2023, 70 children were born to employees, and although it is a short period, the average number of births increased by about 20% within the first year of the program's implementation.

[Lim Eun-ji/Booyoung Group Assistant Manager: "It seems that there is now an atmosphere within the company where employees encourage and support each other regarding pregnancy and childbirth."]

The number of companies providing cash incentives for childbirth, ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won, is steadily increasing.

In addition to cash, some companies offer unlimited support for infertility treatments and have established systems that allow employees who have a third child to be promoted regardless of their annual leave or performance evaluations.

More companies are also making parental leave mandatory.

[Lotte Group Official: "We understand that this virtuous cycle, where individuals focus on their work leading to increased productivity for the company, is continuing...."]

[Jeong Ik-jung/Director of the Center for the Rights of the Child & Professor of Social Welfare at Ewha Womans University: "Cash support can be seen as a catalyst, and I think it is very meaningful in terms of raising social awareness about the low birth rate issue and encouraging corporate participation."]

As some companies take the lead in promoting childbirth, there is interest in whether this atmosphere will spread throughout the corporate sector.

This is KBS News, Lee Ji-eun.