Employment Rate and Economic Activity Participation Rate for Ages 15-64 Continue Growth Trend Over 3 Years
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Sancheong-gun in Gyeongnam showed the highest employment rate, employment rate for ages 15-64, and economic activity participation rate in the province for the second half of 2021.
Sancheong-gun's employment rate for the second half of the year increased significantly over the past three years, from 70.3% in 2019 to 73.6% in 2020, and 74.5% in 2021, showing a growth of 4.2 percentage points.
The Statistics Korea recently released the "2021 Second Half Regional Employment Survey: Major Employment Indicators by City and County," which includes these findings.
According to the indicators, Sancheong-gun recorded the highest employment rate in Gyeongnam for three consecutive periods (from the second half of 2020 to the second half of 2021).
The employment rate for the productive population aged 15-64 and the economic activity participation rate, which reflects the health of the labor market, were also the highest in the province in the second half of 2021, following the first half.
More encouragingly, despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, both the employment rate for ages 15-64 and the economic activity participation rate increased.
The employment rate for ages 15-64 rose from 77.8% in the first half of 2020, when COVID-19 first emerged, to 78.1% in the second half of 2021. The economic activity participation rate also increased significantly from 69.8% to 75.0% during the same period, indicating a substantial rise in job market participation.
Sancheong-gun has consistently maintained a top position in the province's employment rankings. Notably, the 74.5% employment rate for the second half of 2021 was significantly higher than the provincial city average of 59.1% and also 6.1 percentage points higher than the provincial county average of 68.4%.
The main factors behind the rise in Sancheong-gun's employment indicators include major regional development projects and continuous job expansion initiatives.
The county is actively promoting development projects such as the Sinan-Saengbiryang National Road construction, Bammeorijae Tunnel construction, rural hub revitalization projects, urban regeneration New Deal projects, and Donguibogam Village infrastructure projects. It is also focusing on direct and indirect employment improvements through services like the Job Center employment services, youth job search activity support, and expanded senior job support.
Last year, to minimize the impact of job losses and business closures due to COVID-19, the scale of public jobs and youth job projects was expanded.
Accordingly, the budget increased from 2.8 billion KRW and 381 people in 2019 to 3.2 billion KRW in 2021, hiring 463 people and providing public sector jobs.
Additionally, this year, the county plans to implement premium Sancheong public work projects such as COVID-19 life quarantine management, flower garden creation, and administrative work computerization projects.
A county official stated, "We are making various efforts to create and provide quality jobs suited to the characteristics of the region," adding, "We will work harder to improve the employment environment, including job expansion linked to the 2023 Sancheong Expo."
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