Amid the nation's record low total fertility rate, which plunged to zero-point-65 during the fourth quarter last year, the government plans to enhance state support behind the hiring of temporary workers when employees take parental leave.

On a visit on Thursday to a state-run organization providing businesses with temporary workers, labor minister Lee Jung-sik asked such organizations to be more proactive when offering their services, especially when it comes to small- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs).

The organizations, which will increase in number from three to five nationwide, are set to be more proactive by searching for workplaces where there are employees expecting children or with newborns through the use of national health and employment insurance data.

From July this year, the government will provide an additional monthly subsidy of 200-thousand won, or around 150 U.S. dollars, to SMEs that have compensated workers who took on extra tasks to cover for coworkers who are working reduced hours because of child care responsibilities.

According to the ministry, 25-point-six percent of workers as of 2022 said they could not take child care leave or work reduced hours for child care due to their work duties, while 22-point-seven percent mentioned difficulty in finding a substitute.