"Preventing Job Loss to AI and Robots... Discovering Jobs for Disabled People through Innovative Technology"

Interview with Jeong Sun-jin, Head of Innovation Planning at the Disabled Employment Corporation

Jung Soon-jin, Head of Innovation Planning Department at Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled. (Photo by Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "Low-skilled jobs can be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI), robots, etc., which acts as a threat factor to the reduction of jobs for people with disabilities. The Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled is changing its approach to discover jobs for people with disabilities through innovative technologies."

Jung Soonjin, Head of Innovation Planning at the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled, responded this way to a question about the potential crisis in employment for people with disabilities after the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Earlier, in March, the agency collaborated with Coupang to discover jobs suitable for hiring women, severely disabled, and middle-aged disabled individuals according to disability types and characteristics, creating over 200 jobs.

The agency temporarily operated a Future Strategy Team in the first half of this year, collecting opinions from stakeholders including disability organizations, business associations, employers of disabled workers, public institutions, government, and internal staff 37 times. Subsequently, the agency set its vision as "a partner in disability employment creating a society where everyone works together" and established "10 Future Innovation Strategies," including expanding employment of people with disabilities in the public sector and large corporations.

Jung cited the creation of jobs for people with disabilities by companies as the greatest achievement. Through support for special recruitment agency services for companies such as Samsung, Shinsegae, and Lotte, regular positions for people with disabilities were created. Additionally, in cooperation with Korea Railroad Corporation and Korea Rail Network Authority, a female hearing-impaired person was enabled to operate a nail shop in idle space within KTX stations, and the country’s first consortium-type standard workplace, "Purume Yeoju Farm," was launched, leading to job creation for people with disabilities in the local community.

Jung expressed hope that employment of people with disabilities will increase in jobs aligned with recent trends. He said, "We are paying close attention to jobs related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management."