어린이집·유치원에서의 양질의 시간제 일자리 활용방안

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the issue of adequately allocating personnel and utilizing decent part-time jobs for the purpose of enhancing the service of childcare and education in childcare centers and kindergarten. Within this context, we begin the study by first examining the current status of part-time employment in childcare centers and kindergartens, as well as assessing the possibility and the facilities’ potential demand for such workers in the future. In doing this, we look into the working conditions and grievances voiced by part-time workers, using these insights to inform some suggestions to improve the working conditions and quality of work in such part-time jobs. Finally, we examine the attitudes held by childcare teachers and kindergarten teachers regarding part-time work, as well as the willingness of jobseekers to join part-time jobs. We use these findings to explore various ways to support the utilization of part-time help. For this purpose, we have reviewed previous literature, analyzed key statistical data, conducted surveys, analyzed their results, and conducted in-depth interviews, as well as consulting with experts. Our main findings can be summarized as follows. First, compared to childcare centers, kindergartens have relatively higher demand for more part-time help, with the composition of their workforce being largely dependent on the type of establishment. Second, the most serious perceived shortcoming of part-time workers was that they had a ‘lower sense of responsibility compared to full-time workers’. The most commonly reported difficulty regarding the hiring of part-time help was the difficulty of matching wage offers due to the high reservation wage of those seeking part-time jobs. Third, it was evident that childcare centers and kindergartens differed not only in their share of part-time help workers, but also in their working conditions, depending on the tasks they performed. Fourth, while the majority of part-time workers in childcare centers and kindergartens were employed on contracts of less than a year, they mostly expected to be able to continue working beyond a year as long as no problems were encountered. Fifth, part-time workers at childcare centers and kindergartens mainly worked part-time because they needed time to care for their own children, and voiced high levels of satisfaction with part-time work. However, few enjoyed equal working conditions (proportional to hours worked) in terms of bonus pay, severance pay, and days off. Sixth, while jobseekers are very positive attitudes toward part-time work, their receptiveness to jobs in childcare centers and kindergartens was somewhat dependent on the tasks they were expected to perform. Based on these findings, we propose the following policy suggestions. First, support for the placement of part-time personnel in childcare centers and kindergartens must prioritize assistant teachers and afternoon childcare teachers. Second, it needs to be a moderate upward adjustment in the wages of part-time workers from current levels, while security of employment must be extended to part-time workers overall, regardless of the tasks they perform. Third, considering the fact that the work in childcare centers and kindergartens – regardless of the tasks performed – is special in that it occurs in the close proximity of children, all personnel employed by childcare centers and kindergartens must be provided with training programs to bolster basic competence and understanding of their workplace and the realities of working with children.