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KMID : 1001320180450010148
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Social Welfare Policy
2018 Volume.45 No. 1 p.148 ~ p.177
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Comparative Analysis of Sickness Benefits Abroad and Proposal for Its Introduction in Korea
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Kim Ki-Tae
Lee Seung-Yoon
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Abstract
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Korea is one of the three states among OECD members without public sickness benefit (SB) together with US and Switzerland. Given this, this article reviews why Korea needs a state-run sickness benefit by analysing not only cases of other welfare states but income security policies for limited population of unwell workers in Korea. At first, it examines SB’s definition, its potential benefits for individual workers and the Korean society, and possible issues regarding the proposed introduction of SB in Korea. Then, this article reviews SB policies in four representative welfare states of Sweden, Japan, Germany and UK and also Korea’s income security policies for some unwell workers. The welfare states, except for UK, support livelihoods of workers when they have to leave their workplaces due to their injuries or sickness by providing at least 66.7 percent of their former income. In general, they implement the paid sick leave systems within their social insurances financed by contributions from employers and employees. This article also reviews some of Korea’s selective income security policies for some unwell workers, including paid sick leave for public servants or paid maternity leave. The Korean policies have limitations as, for example, they cover only a limited number of working population and exclude the majority of workers. In the end, this article proposes a new institution of sickness benefit in Korea with its eligibility, coverage and duration meeting ILO (1952) minimum standard. It is also suggested that either current health insurance or current unemployment insurance can finance the new income support system.
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KEYWORD
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sickness benefit, paid sick leave, welfare state, comparative analysis
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