Ministry of Employment and Labor Holds 'Job Report' at Blue House on 11th
Customized Job Measures for 40s to be Announced in March...Currently Conducting Survey
Fostering New Industries and Technologies...Training Programs for 132,000 People Underway
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government is focusing this year on job policies led by local regions and the private sector. The plan is to expand the win-win regional job model represented by the 'Gwangju-type job.' The aim is to increase private sector job creation capacity through a method where regions and industries take the lead and the government supports.
On the 11th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported this 'job task report' to President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House State Guest House. The report was conducted jointly by three ministries: the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Environment, under the theme 'Better Jobs, Beyond Rebound to Tangible Experience.'
The Ministry of Employment and Labor presented 'expanding job opportunities' as one of its core goals this year. Minister Lee Jae-gap stated that they will produce 'definite changes' to create better jobs that the public can feel.
To this end, the ministry plans to spread win-win regional jobs, where local labor-management-government cooperation takes the initiative in discovering job models, and the government supports them as a package. The ministry is currently supporting the signing of win-win agreements by conducting consulting for eight regions.
When local governments, who understand the realities of their regions well, establish job creation plans, the government will back them up through consulting and financial support, increasing 'customized regional jobs.' Last year, the ministry invested 104 billion won in budgets for 184 local governments to support customized jobs, resulting in employment for 27,000 people. This year, it plans to support 138.3 billion won, a 33% increase from last year.
The employment crisis in regions will shift from a post-treatment focus to a 'package-type preemptive response.' When signs of crisis are detected, mid- to long-term job package projects designed in connection with regional industrial policies will be selected and supported with 3 to 20 billion won annually for up to five years.
The plan also includes fostering new industries such as big data and system semiconductors, and enhancing the competitiveness of core industries like automobiles and shipbuilding to expand job opportunities.
In particular, training in new industries and new technologies will be expanded through inter-ministerial cooperation. This year, 14 ministries are investing 494.7 billion won in a new technology training project targeting 132,000 people.
Through job policies tailored to specific groups such as youth, women, people in their 40s, and the 50-60 generation, the plan is to enable more citizens to feel the expansion of job opportunities.
For youth, the plan includes strengthening the youth job-seeking activity support fund and employment service linkage (50,000 people), solidifying the youth additional employment incentive (290,000 people), and expanding the Youth Tomorrow Filling Deduction (Cheongnyeon Naeil Chaeum Gongje) (342,000 people).
To prevent career breaks for women, the upper limit of maternity leave pay (including similar childbirth leave) will be raised from 1.8 million won to 2 million won, and parental leave during pregnancy and simultaneous parental leave for couples will be made possible. Customized counseling, training, and job placement support for women with career breaks will also be strengthened.
For the 50-60 generation, incentives such as continuous employment incentives (up to 2 years, total 7.2 million won) will be increased to enable continued employment after retirement age, and life career design services will be expanded. This year, 9000 people will be supported with a 24.6 billion won budget for continuous employment incentives, and life career design services will be provided to 40,000 people, an increase of 10,000 from last year.
A comprehensive job plan tailored for people in their 40s will be prepared next month. It is expected to include measures to revitalize industries such as manufacturing and ways to enhance the labor market adaptability of people in their 40s in response to technological and industrial structural changes.
Currently, the Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting a survey on the actual conditions of job seekers and unemployed people in their 40s through questionnaires, field meetings, and in-depth interviews. It also announced that it is analyzing job-seeking and reemployment paths for 4 million people in their 40s who lost employment insurance in the past three years.
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