South Korea was set to unveil new measures aimed at increasing the number of women in high-ranking public sector posts, part of an effort to bolster a workforce that's projected to start shrinking this year.
The country needs more women to work but the combination of excessive work hours and household responsibilities is discouraging them, said Chung Hyun-back, South Korea's new minister of gender equality, in an interview with Bloomberg. The government was to roll out a five-year plan Tuesday that will be more binding than its predecessor, which had set the 2017 ratio target for female public officials in senior positions at 15 percent, she said.
"We believe that the more women are in high-level posts, the more it helps companies' productivity," Chung said. "We will lay out a specific target for 2022 and will continue monitoring whether we are able to reach the goal."