KoreaKorean bill would make companies report AI-driven layoffs to the labor ministry

A bill in Korea's National Assembly would require companies to report mass layoffs caused by AI to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Per JoongAng Ilbo on Oct 22, Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Jong-gun proposed amendments to the Labor Standards Act and the Framework Act on Employment Policy on Oct 21. Layoffs "wholly or substantially attributable" to AI or automation would have to be reported, and the ministry would publish quarterly statistics by company size, region, occupation and AI type. Voluntary and honorary retirement filings would also have to list AI adoption as a cause. Today there is no duty to say AI was the reason.

A report by Bank of Korea researchers and others published Oct 21 by the National Bureau of Economic Research found Korean companies' AI adoption rate at 89%, second only to the U.S. (95%). Fifty-four percent of Korean executives expect AI to cut jobs in the next three years, nearly double the 28% average across seven other countries. California will require 60 days' notice for AI-driven mass layoffs starting in January.