Prada Korea, AstraZeneca Korea, Sindoh, and Geumseong Publishing have been revealed to continuously fall short in hiring disabled individuals for a decade. As of December last year, these companies had not employed a single person with disabilities. In contrast, Zara Retail Korea, which reported a 0% disability employment rate in December last year, hired 18 disabled employees within a year.
On Dec. 20, the Ministry of Employment and Labor disclosed a list of 457 entities that failed to fulfill their disability employment obligations and showed no effort to comply. Among them are nine government and local government organizations, 20 public institutions, and 428 private enterprises. Public sector entities on the list failed to meet the monthly average mandatory employment rate (3.6%), while private enterprises with over 300 employees fell short of the disability worker ratio (1.55%), half of the mandatory employment rate (3.1%). Entities that attempted to comply for six months after prior notice in April were excluded from the list.
Central administrative agencies, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the National Fire Agency, along with local governments such as Ulleung County, Bonghwa County, Gunwi County, and Yanggu County, were among those listed. Public institutions such as the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Sejong Technopark, and Pohang Technopark failed to meet disability employment obligations. Among the private enterprises, 25 were affiliated with large corporations, and 64 had a permanent workforce of over 1,000 employees.
Prada Korea, with a total workforce of 733 as of the end of last year, was required to hire at least 22 disabled individuals. However, for over a decade, the number of disabled employees hired remained at 0. Companies included in the list for 10 consecutive years are Ssangyong Engineering & Construction, Dongguk University, Citibank Korea, Shindonga Construction, totaling 65. Among the large corporation affiliates, LG Management Development Institute, Asiana IDT, Korea Circuit, and Kolon Pharma were listed for three consecutive years.
Zara Retail Korea, which did not employ any disabled individuals as of the end of last year, recruited disabled employees after consulting with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities to identify roles suitable for disabled individuals, such as inventory management assistance, online order support, and new product labeling. As a result, they achieved a disability employment rate of 2.7% within a year.
Im Young-mi, Head of the Inclusive Employment Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, “This year, companies with 0% disability employment rates have achieved significant results by developing suitable roles for disabled individuals and expanding hiring,” adding, “The government plans to improve regulations next year, including the establishment of standard workplaces for disabled individuals and allowing government sector employment coordination.”
This article was originally published on Dec. 20, 2023.
