Providing Public Jobs to 300,000 Employment-Vulnerable Groups Laid Off Due to COVID-19

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Launches Public Data Youth Internship Program for Over 8,900 Participants

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Approximately 310,000 jobs will be actively supplied to overcome the employment crisis caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and to revive the stagnant local economy.

On the 5th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that following the passage of the 3rd supplementary budget bill in the National Assembly plenary session on the 3rd, a total of 1.34 trillion won, including 1.2061 trillion won in national funds and 134 billion won in local funds, will be invested in the "Hope Job Project" to be launched nationwide by local governments.

This project is part of the "550,000 public jobs creation" task announced at the 5th Emergency Economic Meeting on April 22 as part of the "Employment and Corporate Stability Measures," where each local government identified job demands based on regional employment and economic conditions and established project plans.

The participants include vulnerable groups such as low-income individuals and persons with disabilities, as well as those unemployed due to COVID-19, those on leave or whose businesses have closed, special employment workers, and freelancers. They will receive wages of 8,590 won per hour (minimum wage) and coverage for the four major social insurances. To prioritize those urgently needing livelihood support, participation is restricted for those currently involved in other job projects.

The project consists of 10 types of jobs aimed at responding to new public demands caused by COVID-19 and supporting local economic recovery, including daily quarantine support, neighborhood commercial district and small business recovery support, rural economic activity support, and youth support.

Local governments will announce the project and recruit participants, who will begin work after a selection process starting in July. Detailed information can be found on Worknet (www.work.go.kr) and local government websites.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will also promote the "Public Data Youth Internship," providing ICT sector jobs to 8,950 young people.

This project places public data youth interns in central, local, and public institutions to support public data analysis and quality management for the activation of public data opening and utilization. It is not a simple part-time job but supports young people in gaining vivid experience in ICT professional fields.

Participants will receive the Didimdol program, which supports career development in the data field through data education and data work experience opportunities. Specific application and selection procedures will be announced separately.