• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.177-211
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• 2013

The Chinese dual structure of employment('Shuangguizhi') has been retained through the Economic Reforms, and has been supported and reproduced by the system of division between rural and urban household registration. In the 2000s, efforts of the government to abolish the division appeared to be effective with the introduction of the 'Labor Contract Act'. However, the eclecticism of the Act and the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008 gave new momentum to the revival of the Chinese dual structure of employment by increasing the scale of labor dispatching. Labor dispatching in China has become a regular form of employment rather than an exceptional one. Labor dispatching reveals its Chinese characteristics against the particular background formed during the periods of state-owned-enterprise restructuring around 2000. The combined effects of the 'Labor Contract Act' and the global financial crisis brought about the effect of increase rather than control of labor dispatching, and gave a signal to enterprises to use various forms of labor dispatching including 'reverse directional labor dispatching' to lessen burdens and costs caused by the Act and the crisis. As labor dispatching strengthens or displaces the existing dual structure of employment, social groups which need more social protection tend to be much more excluded from the protection of the government and the society.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.43-69
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• 2008

The labor contract Law has been prepared as an important solution for social stability. After long disputes around the orientations of the law, On June 29, 2007, the new Chinese labor contract law is passed. This law reflects the changing labor relations because of economic reforms like restructuring of the state-owned enterprises and so on. This law contains more market-oriented clauses that are supplemented by corporatist scheme supported by trade unions than the first draft. This law emphasize labor's rights and interests to remove prior labor contract problem. So Chines government see this law as standard law to restructure social relationship and also require firms to corporate social responsibility. Therefore, implementation of the new Chinese labor contract law bring about increasing labor cost, infringement of autonomy for human resource management, rigidity of industrial relations. Under these situation, Korean shipping and port logistics companies need to introduce management system of minimized employment, prepare human resource management in response to long-term employment, maintain favor relationship with trade union, and set up counteiplan about risk of a labor dispute.