Kakao Mobility to Create 1,000 'Good Jobs' for Hearing-Impaired, Women, and Youth

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao Mobility announced on the 20th that it will create 1,000 "good jobs" next year for the hearing impaired, women, and youth. To this end, the company will focus on platform technology development and establishing employment linkage programs with affiliated transportation companies.

Kakao Mobility is taking active steps to expand employment for the hearing impaired by partnering with KM Solution, its transportation franchise subsidiary, and Coactors, which operates Goyohan Taxi and GoyohanM.

First, Kakao T application (app) will enhance features for hearing-impaired drivers to create an environment where both hearing-impaired drivers and passengers can use the platform without inconvenience. Since September, Kakao Mobility has provided users with a separate popup notification when a hearing-impaired driver is dispatched. Going forward, they plan to optimize the passenger tablet app with Coactors and simplify payments through the application of app meters.

A system will also be established to support the hiring and work adaptation of the hearing impaired. KM Solution provides educational content in sign language for hearing-impaired drivers. TJ Partners, a Kakao Mobility subsidiary, supports transportation companies in contracting with Coactors to hire hearing-impaired drivers. After piloting a specialized recruitment and training process through these transportation companies, they plan to expand the employment linkage program nationwide to excellent franchise locations.

Efforts will also be made to expand taxi jobs for women and youth under 30. The proportion of women and youth among taxi drivers is estimated to be 1.5% and less than 1%, respectively. Kakao Mobility and KM Solution plan to increase awareness of taxi employment by participating in job fairs and producing YouTube content featuring actual crew experiences. TJ Partners is also working to improve work environments by creating women-only rest areas at two affiliated transportation companies. Thanks to these efforts, the proportion of women and youth under 30 among taxi drivers hired through KM Solution, which has supported driver recruitment for franchise members, reached 14%.

Shin Dong-hoon, Executive Director of Kakao Mobility’s MaaS Business Division, said, "We are committed to creating good jobs for the hearing impaired, women, and youth, fulfilling the platform’s social responsibility while also contributing to alleviating the manpower shortage faced by corporate transportation companies suffering from chronic recruitment difficulties."