The National Personnel Authority is considering scrapping the dependent allowance for central government workers' spouses, informed sources said Tuesday.
Behind the move is an increase in the number of government employees whose spouses also have jobs, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the government agency plans to increase the allowance for national civil servants' dependent children partly by utilizing the funds to be freed up from ending the spousal allowances.
The authority is likely to include both plans in its annual recommendations for government worker salary revisions to be made as early as August, according to the sources. The measures are expected to promote spouses' participation in the labor market while boosting support for families with children.
Currently, a spousal allowance of ¥6,500 ($42) is paid per month on condition that the dependent's annual salary is below ¥1.3 million. The child allowance stands at ¥10,000 per child per month.
The child allowance is paid until the end of the fiscal year in which the children turn 22. For children between the ages of 16 and 22, ¥5,000 is added to the monthly dependent allowance in consideration of higher education costs during that period.
The spousal allowance is reduced or not paid at all for government workers in managerial positions.
The size of the child allowance hike will be decided based on the results of a survey of salary levels at central government agencies and the private sector, as well as the amount of funds to be generated from the abolition of the spousal allowance, the sources said.
According to a survey conducted by the National Personnel Authority in 2023, 114,080 central government workers had dependent family members. The number of workers having dependent spouses and children came to 68,629 and 89,637, respectively.