Active Job Creation Tailored to Hierarchical and Regional Characteristics
Gyeongnam Ranks 1st in Lowest Unemployment Rate and 3rd in Employment Rate
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Gyeongnam in the second half of 2020 as a result of focusing on job creation to overcome the shrinking labor market and economic recession caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
According to the "2020 Second Half Regional Employment Survey Major Employment Indicators by City and County" announced by Statistics Korea on February 25, Hamyang-gun's unemployment rate was 1.0%, down 0.3 percentage points from 1.3% last year, the lowest among the 18 basic local governments in the province, and the employment rate ranked third at 67.8%.
The employment rate of the population aged 15 to 64, classified as the working-age population, was 74.0%, and the economic activity participation rate also rose by 2.9 percentage points and 2.4 percentage points respectively compared to the previous year, reaching 68.6%.
In the "2020 First Half Regional Employment Survey Major Employment Indicators by City and County," the county achieved first place in Gyeongnam and third nationwide with an employment rate increase from 64.7% to 67.3%, a rise of 2.6 percentage points.
While employment rates nationwide declined simultaneously due to the impact of COVID-19, the increase in Hamyang-gun's employment rate and decrease in unemployment rate is a very encouraging achievement.
This is the result of various local economic revitalization policies linked to the 2021 Hamyang Wild Ginseng Anti-Aging Expo, recruitment incentives for companies promoted independently by the county, support for obtaining customized certifications for drones and heavy equipment, as well as public jobs focusing on senior jobs, public work, community jobs, locally led youth jobs, social enterprise job creation support, and support for employment and start-ups for returnees to farming and rural areas.
In particular, as part of its own job projects, the county provided jobs for 116 people in public work, 114 senior center meal helpers implemented for the first time in Gyeongnam during the 7th local government term, 52 people in the forest biomass collection group for forest landscape management, and 51 personnel for management and operation of the Hamyang Daebongsan Healing Valley scheduled to open this year.
With national and provincial government-supported job projects, the county actively discovered and promoted customized jobs suitable for class and regional characteristics, including 1,472 people in community jobs, senior jobs, and jobs for the disabled providing employment to vulnerable groups, 128 people in senior customized care services directly hired and operated by the county as life support workers and dedicated social workers, 38 people in locally led youth jobs, and 13 people in social enterprise job support.
Seo Chun-su, Mayor of Hamyang-gun, said, "The increase in our Hamyang-gun employment rate shows the possibility of overcoming the shrinking labor market and economic recession caused by COVID-19," adding, "We will continue to make every effort to discover jobs to catch two rabbits: preventing the local spread of COVID-19 and revitalizing the local economy."
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