[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] On the 28th, Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, shared policies to minimize the labor market shock caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), including the "Korean New Deal," with labor ministers from ASEAN countries.
Minister Lee attended the "11th ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Virtual Meeting" held at the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in the afternoon. The meeting was attended by labor ministers from the 10 ASEAN countries, South Korea, China, Japan, and the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat.
Following the 10th ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Meeting held in Malaysia in November 2018, the 11th regular meeting, which was scheduled to be held in Indonesia this year, was replaced by a virtual meeting.
At the meeting, they discussed measures to protect workers and enhance competitiveness in preparation for changes in the world of work caused by the 4th Industrial Revolution and the spread of COVID-19.
Minister Lee emphasized, "ASEAN is a valuable partner of Korea," and stated, "To respond to the changes in the world of work brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution and COVID-19, policy coordination and cooperation among ASEAN countries are necessary at this time."
He shared employment and labor policies to minimize the labor market shock caused by the 4th Industrial Revolution and COVID-19 and introduced the Korean New Deal policy.
As efforts to overcome the employment crisis, he mentioned ▲ the significant expansion of the support budget for employment retention and protection of the unemployed, and ▲ income support such as emergency employment stabilization subsidies for vulnerable groups including special-type workers (special employment types) and freelancers.
Regarding the Korean New Deal policy, which focuses investment on digital and green sectors, he stated, "We plan to expand support in digital and new technology fields, such as nurturing future core talents and providing lifelong digital convergence training."
He also explained, "We are preparing to implement the unemployment assistance program (National Employment Support System) next year to support job-seeking activities and income for vulnerable groups, and will gradually expand the coverage of employment insurance."
On this day, emphasizing the importance of policies to enhance the competitiveness and adaptability of ASEAN workers in the labor market, they adopted the ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers' Joint Declaration urging strengthened cooperation among ASEAN+3 member countries in the labor sector.
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