Mokpo City Reports 29.6% Youth Employment Rate Last Year... Rising for 2 Consecutive Years

Administrative Support Effects for Local Youth Job Creation and Business Support Bang! Bang!

Youth Job Integration Center operated by Mokpo City (Photo by Mokpo City)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Amid the increasing difficulty of job hunting due to COVID-19, the youth employment rate in Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do, rose by 2.7% last year, drawing attention.

According to Statistics Korea's "Employment and Employment Rate by Age," the number of employed persons aged 15-29 in Mokpo in the second half of last year was 10,900, with an employment rate of 29.6%.

This figure represents a 2.7 percentage point increase from 26.9% in the second half of 2019, continuing an upward trend for two consecutive years. Compared to the number of employed persons in the second half of 2019, it increased by 600.

Compared to most urban areas in Jeollanam-do, where the number of employed youth decreased by nearly 1,000 on average and employment rates declined, this indicates an improvement in the youth employment situation in Mokpo City.

This result is interpreted as reflecting the efforts of Mokpo City, which has focused administrative power by establishing the Youth Employment Policy Division during the 7th local government term and opening the Mokpo Youth and Employment Integration Center to alleviate youth employment difficulties.

Key youth policies of the city include specialized projects such as the Youth Startup Seed Money (financial) Support Project, Regional Win-Win Youth Job Creation Project, Summer and Winter University Student Part-time Job Project, Early Employment Contract Department Support Project, and Mokpo Youth Employment Academy Support Project.

Additionally, with national and provincial government support projects, the city is promoting the Youth Village Support Project and Youth Fisheries and Agricultural Distribution Activist Development Project, while supporting youth independence through youth retention incentives, housing support for employed youth, Youth Hope Stepping Stone Account support, and youth job-seeking activity allowances.

In particular, this year, to create youth jobs and support companies related to the 4th Industrial Revolution era such as non-face-to-face and digital industries, 3.6 billion KRW will be invested in five “Jeonnam-type New Deal Youth Job” projects (DNA+US-based Youth Job Project, Energy New Industry Growth Platform e-New Deal, Smart Manufacturing + Promising Companies 2.0 Project, Creamers Marketer Support Project, Blue Job Youth New Deal Road Project).

Furthermore, to strengthen the competitiveness of Mokpo City's strategic industry, the seafood food industry, and create jobs, 460 million KRW will be supported for the “Mokpo-type Seafood Food Industry Untact Youth Job Project.”

In the long term, the city is focusing on fostering three major strategic industries?renewable energy represented by eco-friendly ships and offshore wind power, seafood food, and tourism?to create quality jobs.

A city official stated, “We will continue to implement diverse and specialized youth support policies so that young people do not leave for big cities in search of jobs but settle in Mokpo, and we will spare no administrative effort in fostering future growth industries.”