Industry concerns over night work regulations... Delivery drivers criticize "income reduction, double jobs Yangsan"

"Among delivery drivers, the term 'income reduction law' is being used."

Concerns are rising within the industry regarding legislation proposed by the Ministry of Government Legislation to limit the working hours of early morning delivery workers to a maximum of 48 hours per week. If the law changes, companies with high shares of early morning delivery, such as Coupang and Curly, will inevitably need to recruit more staff and revise their delivery strategies. At the same time, backlash from current delivery drivers whose incomes would decrease due to reduced working hours is also expected.

According to relevant industry sources on the 25th, if early morning delivery working hours are uniformly restricted, it is projected that delivery drivers' income will drop significantly.

According to the results of a "Survey Research on Delivery Service Structure and Work Environment" conducted by the Korean Labor Economics Association in July with 755 delivery drivers (217 night shift, 538 daytime) from CJ Daihan Logistics, Coupang, Lotte, Lozen, and Kurly, the average daily working hours for delivery drivers were approximately 9 hours and 10 minutes, and the average monthly income was found to be 5,729,000 won.

Considering that the proportion of workers on a six-day workweek is the highest, this amounts to approximately 55 hours of work per week. If daytime working hours are limited to 46 hours and income is assumed to be proportional to working hours, the report analyzes that monthly income would decrease by about 940,000 won and annual income by about 11.2 million won. Reflecting the proposed amendment to limit working hours to a maximum of 48 hours per week, monthly income would decrease by approximately 740,000 won and annual income by approximately 8.88 million won.

Park Young-beom, a professor at Hansung University who conducted the study, pointed out that "if working hours are restricted, drivers may take on side jobs to compensate for reduced income, which could actually increase total working hours."

Voices from the early morning delivery scene show high opposition to uniform working hour regulations. According to a survey by the Coupang Partners Alliance, representing over 10,000 Coupang delivery drivers in October last year, about 90% of night delivery drivers opposed restrictions on delivery work hours. In a December last year survey by the Korean Society of Labor Economics, 84% of respondents opposed the introduction of working hour regulations, and 65% expressed concern over livelihood difficulties due to income reduction.

This bill could affect not only major e-commerce companies like Coupang and Curly but also large retailers preparing for the trend of expanding early morning delivery. Naver is also expanding early morning delivery products in partnership with Curly, and Lotte Mart is building its own logistics facility in Busan to expand its 'Zeta' early morning delivery service in the Yeongnam region.

Critics also point out that consumer inconvenience will increase as demand for early morning delivery grows. In a report released last year, the Korean Logistics Association stated, "If early morning delivery work is restricted, the proportion of consumers having to visit offline stores directly will increase, leading to greater inconvenience for residents in suburban areas outside the capital region or areas with weak transportation access."

Concerns also arise over potential damage to small business owners and others who source materials through early morning delivery services. According to an analysis by the Korean Logistics Association, if both early morning delivery and seven-day-a-week delivery are prohibited, parcel order volume is expected to decrease by about 40%, resulting in estimated economic losses of around 54 trillion won. Among this, e-commerce companies are expected to see a sales decline of approximately 33.2 trillion won, while small businesses are projected to face a sales reduction of about 18.3 trillion won.

An industry official stated, "If the legislation limiting working hours for early morning delivery passes, business operation strategies will change." He added, "While we agree with the legislative intent of protecting the health rights of delivery drivers, detailed discussions are needed regarding implementation standards and schedules."