Jeju Province will implement a climate insurance program next month to compensate daily construction workers for income lost during heatwave-induced work stoppages [1].
The initiative addresses the financial instability of laborers who lose wages when extreme heat forces sites to halt operations. Because climate change has made heatwaves a routine occurrence, workers often face a choice between their health and their livelihood, a gap this insurance aims to close [1].
The program targets approximately 5,000 daily laborers [1] who are enrolled in retirement deductions and working at public construction sites valued at 100 million won or more [1]. Under the new system, workers will receive compensation based on the duration of the work stoppage without needing to provide separate proof of damage [1].
Ko Jae-hyung said workers can be guaranteed up to 68,000 won for a maximum of four hours of stopped work [1]. This ensures that the most vulnerable workers in the construction sector maintain a baseline of income during peak summer months.
"Climate change has made heatwaves a daily occurrence, and construction sites have no choice but to stop work," an anchor said [1]. Ko Jae-hyung said that work often continues in construction sites even during extreme heat [1].
The Jeju government's move marks the first time such a specific climate-based income protection mechanism has been established for daily laborers in South Korea [1].
“Jeju Province will implement a climate insurance program next month to compensate daily construction workers”
This program represents a shift in public policy by treating extreme heat not as an occasional disaster, but as a predictable economic risk. By decoupling daily wages from physical labor during heatwave alerts, Jeju Province is creating a social safety net that prioritizes worker safety over project timelines, potentially setting a precedent for other regional governments in South Korea facing similar climate challenges.
