A Comparative Study of Local Government Leave Programs

A variety of local government leave programs have been introduced and improved to increase government productivity, help government employees achieve work-life balance, and create a family-friendly workplace culture. However, the usage rate of annual and long-term leave is still low, and public employees are not satisfied with their work-life balance. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze local government employee leave programs in Korea and overseas countries (U.S., France, and Japan) and provide policy implications for improving leave programs. It is necessary to provide more detailed regulations on the use of annual leave for more than 10 consecutive days so that employees can get enough rest when they need it and gain new vitality through long-term leave. In addition, local governments should be given the autonomy to set their own vacation policies to suit their local and environmental characteristics.