Disability, Work and Inclusion in Korea
![](/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--4046979e-20a6-4418-9c37-0f2bcb4d641f/bf947f82-en.jpg?quality=80&preferwebp=true)
Annex C. Coverage of social protection for sick workers by type of worker in OECD countries
Table A C.1. Part-time employees and those on permanent contracts generally have benefit access
Situation as of 2021 (ignoring temporary improvements implemented throughout the COVID-19 pandemic)
|
Limitation of or less advantageous |
access Explanation |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
Part-time Workers |
Temporary contract |
||
Sickness benefits |
Employer-provided sick pay |
|||
Austria |
O |
O |
O |
Income requirement: No compulsory insurance if sum of all earnings below EUR 476 per month Tenure: 3 months for sickness benefits Generosity: longer duration employer-provided sick pay (6-12 weeks) and sickness benefits (6-12 months) for longer tenure |
Belgium |
Contribution period: 180 days of actual work or assimilated periods (unemployment, legal holidays, etc.) in 12 months |
|||
Canada |
Contribution period: 600 hours of covered employment in the 52 weeks before sickness before the start of a claim or since the start of a last claim (whichever is shorter) |
|||
Chile |
Contribution period: 6 months, incl. at least 3 months of contributions in the last 6 months (for contract workers latter is 30 days in last 6 months) |
|||
Colombia |
Contribution period: 4 weeks |
|||
Costa Rica |
Contribution period: 6 months in 12 months before sickness |
|||
Czech Republic |
O |
Income requirement: CZK 3 500 (EUR 147) per month |
||
Denmark |
O |
O |
Tenure: 240 hours within last 6 months and 74 hours within last 8 weeks |
|
Estonia |
Contribution period: 14 days |
|||
Finland |
O |
Generosity: Employer pays full salary for the first 9 days if the employment relationship has lasted at least one month. If under one month, 50% of the salary is paid |
||
France |
O |
Generosity: longer duration employer-provided sick pay (10 days per 5-year seniority) |
||
Germany |
O |
O |
Income requirement: No compulsory insurance below EUR 450 per month or if short-term employed (3 months or 70 working days a year) Tenure: 4 uninterrupted weeks for employer-provided sick pay |
|
Greece |
O |
O |
Contribution period: 120 days in last year or 12 first months of the 15 months preceding the illness Tenure: 10 days |
|
Iceland |
O |
O |
Tenure: 2 months of work prior to illness Generosity: longer duration employer-provided sick pay commonly in collective agreements |
|
Ireland |
O |
Income requirement: EUR 38 per week Contribution period: 104 weeks since first employment |
||
Israel |
No information available |
|||
Italy |
O |
Eligibility: Certain categories of workers, seasonal workers, and employees on fixed-term contracts, receive benefits directly by from social insurance rather than employer-provided sick pay |
||
Japan |
O |
Income requirement: JPY 58 000 yen (EUR 410) per month |
||
Korea |
No scheme |
|||
Latvia |
Contribution period: 3 months during the last 6 months or 6 months during the last 24 months |
|||
Lithuania |
Contribution period: 3 months during the last 12 months or 6 months during the last 24 months |
|||
Luxembourg |
O |
Eligibility: Persons who are only engaged occasionally and not habitually in a professional activity are excluded |
||
Mexico |
Contribution period: 4 weeks before sickness (6 weeks in last four months for casual workers) |
|||
New Zealand |
O |
Tenure: 6 months current continuous employment with the same employer |
||
Norway |
O |
O |
O |
Income requirement: NOK 53 200 (EUR 4 952) per year Tenure: 4 weeks |
Poland |
Contribution period: 30 calendar days |
|||
Portugal |
Contribution period: 6 months Tenure: 12 days of actual work during 4 months preceding sickness |
|||
Slovak Republic |
O |
Eligibility: Not compulsory for those working on external employment contracts with irregular income |
||
Spain |
O |
Income requirement: marginal salary: not a basic means to earn a living are excluded Contribution period: 180 days during 5 years prior to sickness |
||
Sweden |
O |
Income requirement: SEK 11 424 (EUR 1 020) per year |
||
Switzerland |
O |
Generosity: Duration is 3 weeks during the 1st year of tenure. Thereafter a longer period on an “equitable” basis |
||
United Kingdom |
O |
Income requirement: GBP 113 (EUR 128) per week |
||
United States |
No scheme |
Note: No scheme: no statutory sickness benefits or statutory employer-provided sick pay. Data refers to 2021, except for Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico (2019), and for Israel, Japan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom (2018).
Source: European Commission’s Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC); United States’ Social Security Administration’s Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW); OECD (2020[24]), “Paid sick leave to protect income, health and jobs through the COVID-19 crisis”, https://doi.org/10.1787/a9e1a154-en.
Table A C.2. Self-employed workers often have worse statutory access to sickness benefits
Situation as of 2021 (ignoring temporary improvements implemented throughout the COVID-19 pandemic)
|
Statutory access |
Explanation |
---|---|---|
Australia |
Standard |
The jobseeker support system, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic without foreseen end date, does not distinguish between self-employed and employees |
Austria |
Voluntary |
|
Belgium |
Partial |
Waiting period: 7 days, unless sick for more than 7 days then no waiting period (no waiting period for employees). Benefit level: Lump-sum benefit level depending on household characteristics (dependents, living alone). Instead, employees receive income-dependent employer-provided sick pay for one month and then sickness benefits at 60% of their capped income. There are minimum sickness benefits amounts depending on household characteristics. The lump-sum benefit level that self-employed receive are below those minimum levels |
Canada |
Voluntary |
Income requirement: 7 555 CAD/year (about EUR 5 000) for voluntary insurance. Contribution period: a year of life-time contributions (600 insured hours in the previous year for employees) |
Chile |
Standard |
Income requirement: Voluntary insurance for self-employed making less than five times minimum wage |
Colombia |
Standard |
|
Costa Rica |
Standard |
|
Czech Republic |
Voluntary |
Contribution period: 3 months (4 days for employees) |
Denmark |
Partial |
Waiting period: 2 weeks (no waiting period for employees). Contribution period: 6 within 12 months (240 hours in 6 months for employees) |
Estonia |
Partial |
Waiting period: 9 days (employees have 0) |
Finland |
Standard |
|
France |
Standard |
|
Germany |
Voluntary |
Voluntary for certain occupations |
Greece |
Partial |
Benefit level: lump-sum levels that depend on occupation and possibly household characteristics (earnings dependent for employees). Contribution period: no contribution period (120 days for employees) |
Hungary |
Standard |
|
Iceland |
Standard |
|
Ireland |
No access |
|
Israel |
No access |
|
Italy |
No access |
|
Japan |
Partial |
Eligible for the national scheme under same rules as employees. Not eligible for the employee’s sickness insurance (to which only employees contribute) |
Korea |
No scheme |
|
Latvia |
Standard |
|
Lithuania |
Standard |
|
Luxembourg |
Standard |
|
Mexico |
No access |
|
Netherlands |
Voluntary |
To be eligible for voluntary insurance, self-employed (1) must have been covered as employee or unemployed for a year and (2) opt in within 13 weeks of the end of mandatory coverage |
New Zealand |
Standard |
The jobseeker support system, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic without foreseen end date, does not distinguish between self-employed and employees |
Norway |
Partial |
Income requirement: about EUR 5 000/year. Benefit level: 80% of average income (100% for employees). Duration: maximum 248 days (260 days for employees). Contribution period: 4 weeks (none for employees). Supplementary voluntary insurance available |
Poland |
Voluntary |
Contribution period: 90 days for self-employed with voluntary insurance (30 for employees) |
Portugal |
Standard |
|
Slovak Republic |
Standard |
|
Slovenia |
Standard |
|
Spain |
Standard |
|
Sweden |
Partial |
Waiting days: Self-employed choose between different schemes: 1, 14, 30, 60 or 90 waiting days, with lower contributions for longer waiting periods (no waiting period for employees) |
Switzerland |
Standard |
|
Türkiye |
Standard |
|
United Kingdom |
Partial |
Benefit level: Self-employed and employees have access to the Employment and Support Allowance, a social assistance benefit for all workers. They do not have access to Statutory Sick Pay, which is employer-provided. Benefit generosity differs (GPB 74.70 instead of 96.35). Eligibility conditions can be stricter also. |
United States |
No scheme |
Note: No scheme: no statutory sickness benefits. No access: statutory sickness benefit exists for full-time employees, but self-employed workers are excluded. Partial: eligibility conditions, waiting period, benefit level or benefit duration are less advantageous for self-employed compared to employees. Voluntary: self-employed can choose to opt in the statutory sickness benefit system for full-time employees. Data refers to 2021, except for Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico (2019), and for Iceland, Israel, Japan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom (2018).
Source: European Commission’s Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC); United States’ Social Security Administration’s Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW); OECD (2020[24]), “Paid sick leave to protect income, health and jobs through the COVID-19 crisis”, https://doi.org/10.1787/a9e1a154-en.