NEWS & ISSUE 검색결과

• [Exclusive] Foreign Companies Association in Korea (KOFA) Survey on Perception of "Yellow Envelope Bill": A survey of CEOs and HR managers of foreign-invested companies on the amendments to the Trade Union Act (Articles 2 and 3) found that 64.4% said it

  Amidst intense conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties, six major domestic economic organizations, and North American and European economic chambers and labor groups in Korea, the so-called "Yellow Envelope Bill" (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) passed the National Assembly on the 24th with 183 votes in favor, marking its first passage in 20 years. The Foreign Investment Companies Association in Korea [KOFA] conducted an anonymous perception survey on the Yellow Envelope Bill targeting representatives and HR managers of the Korean subsidiaries of 100 foreign-invested companies. The results indicated a somewhat more negative than positive perception. This survey focused more on Article 3, which reasonably adjusts liability for damages caused by industrial action, rather than on Article 2(2) concerning the expansion of the definition of "employer" or Article 2(5) regarding decisions on business operations. < Yellow Envelope Bill - Basic Survey Data > The industries represented in this first survey were General Manufacturing (13.9%), Semiconductors (8.9%), Pharmaceuticals (8.9%), and Specialty Chemicals (7.9%). The regions of the respondents' parent companies were Europe (53.5%), North America (U.S.) (22.8%), and Asia (21.8%). By sales revenue, the respondents were: under KRW 10 billion (19.8%), KRW 30-50 billion (22.8%), over KRW 200 billion (20.8%), KRW 50-100 billion (16.8%), and KRW 100-200 billion (13.9%).By number of employees, the respondents were: 100-300 employees (27.7%), under 30 employees (23.8%), 300-500 employees (16.8%), 50-100 employees (12.9%), and over 1000 employees (7.9%). < Responses to Questions on Article 3 >In single-response questions regarding Article 3: On the clause limiting liability for damages: (Positive 7%, Neutral 46%, Negative 47%) On the clause expanding protection for strike participants: (Positive 40%, Neutral 16%, Negative 44%) On the clause limiting civil liability for illegal strikes: (Positive 30%, Neutral 20%, Negative 50%) (Source: Foreign Investment Companies Association in Korea, KOFA) < Anticipated Impact on Business Operations in Korea > < Risk Management Concerns > < Impact on Future Investment Plans > < Expert Opinions from Respondents >An HR expert who responded stated, “Beyond the issue of subcontracting, Article 2 of the Yellow Envelope Bill presents anticipated problems as it involves infringement on essential management rights and limitations on claiming damages.” The head of a European manufacturing company's Korean subsidiary expressed, “While companies with existing unions or frequent labor disputes will inevitably be sensitive, those without unions or labor-management issues are not yet at the stage of considering withdrawal or reduction.” Other opinions included, “The proposal of the bill based on ILO recommendations is viewed very positively, and it seems positive from an ESG perspective regarding preemptive responses.” < Context from Previous Data >According to a 2022 national policy research portal report surveying 303 foreign-invested companies, 58 companies (19.1%) reported having a labor union. It was also reported that GM Korea (a U.S. automaker) has 276 primary subcontractors in Korea, a figure that rises to 3,000 when including secondary and tertiary suppliers. Conversely, most foreign-invested companies outside sectors like automobiles, electronics, semiconductors, and specialty chemicals are small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that operate labor-management councils instead of unions. Many foreign startups that have recently entered Korea have fewer than 5 employees, making them exempt from certain labor laws. There is still no official statistics on subcontracting practices among small and medium-sized foreign-invested companies. < Follow-up Survey Plans >KOFA (Representative Kim Jong-chul) announced that a follow-up survey, focusing on Article 2(2) regarding the expansion of the "employer" definition and Article 2(5) on business management decisions, is scheduled for late August.The specific survey items will include: A perception survey on key labor policies proposed by the new government, including awareness levels and overall evaluation. An overall evaluation of the proposed 4.5-day work week (without wage reduction), reasons for positive/negative evaluations, and planned responses. An overall evaluation of the proposed prohibition of the comprehensive wage system, reasons for positive/negative evaluations, and planned responses.The survey will specifically include items on whether the respondent company has a union and its type, as well as whether it engages subcontractors and the union status within those subcontractors. < About KOFA >The Foreign Investment Companies Association in Korea (KOFA) is composed of CEOs and HR executives of foreign-invested companies in Korea. It possesses a network of approximately 600 member companies and serves as a non-profit bridge between the management of foreign-invested companies and the government. It provides business information for the roughly 17,000 foreign-invested companies in Korea and conducts annual surveys on salaries and benefits, various studies on HR systems, and other research.

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  • Economy
  • NEWS

  2025-08-28

• 에보닉, 수요 감소로 2분기 실적 부진

  - 불확실한 경제 상황으로 판매 감소 - 2025년 2분기 조정 EBITDA 12% 감소 - 2025년 연간 실적 전망: 조정 EBITDA가 예상 범위의 하단에 도달할 것으로 예상 에보닉은 2025년 2분기 어려운 경제 환경 속에서 조정 EBITDA가 전년 동기 대비 12% 감소한 5억 900만 유로를 기록했다고 발표했다. 이는 전년도 2분기(Q2 2024)의 5억 7,800만 유로와 비교되는 수치이다. 에보닉의 CEO인 Christian Kullmann은 “2025년 2분기는 높은 불확실성과 약한 수요로 특정 지어졌고 이는 우리의 숫자에서도 명확히 드러난다”고 전했다. 에보닉의 2분기 매출은 35억 유로로, 전년 동기(Q2 2024: 39억 3,000만 유로) 대비 11% 감소했다. 이 감소의 절반 이상은 불리한 환율 영향과 2024년 2분기까지 에보닉 사업에 포함되어 있었던 superabsorbents 사업의 매각에 기인한다. 판매량은 4% 감소했으나, 가격은 비교적 안정적으로 유지되었다. C4 계열 제품의 판매는 평균 이하였고, 폴리아미드 12 등 제품을 생산하는 공장의 계획보다 긴 정기 보수 정지 역시 매출 감소에 영향을 미쳤다. 조정 EBITDA 마진은 14.5%로 전년 동기(14.7%)와 유사한 수준을 유지했으며, 순이익은 1억 2천만 유로로 전년 동기(500만 유로) 대비 개선되었다. 전년도 분기의 실적은 효율성 향상 프로그램인 “Evonik Tailor Made”에 대한 충당금 설정의 영향을 받았다. 잉여현금흐름은 2억 1,100만 유로로 감소했으며, 이는 순운전자본 증가와 2024년 성과급 등 높은 변동 비용에 따른 결과다. 에보닉 CFO인 Maike Schuh는 “5~6월 경제 상황이 급격히 악화되었으며, 하반기에는 유지보수가 줄고 일부 제품에서 신규 설비 가동 효과가 기대된다”고 밝혔다. 에보닉은 2025년 전체 조정 EBITDA가 20억~23억 유로의 예상 범위 하단에 도달할 것으로 예상하고 있으며, 전제 조건으로는 글로벌 경제의 추가 악화가 없다는 점에서 가능하다. 에보닉의 현금 전환율은 약 40% 수준을 유지할 것으로 전망하며, 양호한 잉여현금흐름 확보를 위해 자본 지출을 1억 유로 줄여 약 7억 5천만 유로 수준으로 제한할 계획이다. 자본 수익률(ROCE)은 전년(7.1%)과 유사한 수준이 될 것으로 기대된다.

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  • Economy
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  2025-08-07