Work-Life Balance? Fun? What Young People Consider a Good Job

Gwangju Gwangsan-gu Opens 'Youth Job Public Forum'

"Work-life balance is important, and so is fun. I believe a good job is one that realizes my values and the values of the world."

"Shouldn't it be a place where anyone can freely express their opinions, prioritize abilities, and above all, be sustainable?"

These are the voices of young people from the 'Gwangsan-gu Youth Job Public Forum' held on the 2nd at the Gwangsan-gu Regional Economic Vitality Center in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The event was organized as a social dialogue platform where young people openly shared their honest thoughts about jobs and exchanged and discussed various opinions for 'sustainable youth job policies.'

The forum began with an analysis of the local job and employment status, an introduction to Gwangsan-gu youth policies, and a lecture by Dr. Baek Kyung-ho of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation at Chonnam National University titled "What is a Good Job for the Future Generation of Youth?"

Following this, there was a passionate group discussion on the definition of 'work' as perceived by youth, criteria for job selection, and what constitutes a 'good job.' With the support of professional governance and discussion facilitators, participants gathered and developed diverse thoughts and opinions.

Through this, various perspectives and ideas of youth regarding good jobs were revealed.

The youth identified basic conditions for a 'good job' as one that guarantees a stable life including solving basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter; allows work-life balance without having to leave the region; enables utilization of personal aptitude and abilities; fosters a horizontal and democratic organizational culture; and includes fun.

Some groups presented reasons why jobs are necessary and the requirements for good jobs, likening it to the slogan "Bread and Roses," which advocates for women's survival rights, human rights, and suffrage.

Innovative and fresh policy ideas to realize good jobs in areas such as economy, welfare, and life support also poured out.

Suggestions included 'adult education' where essential social skills like job experience, finance, and economics can be learned; introduction of 'employee vacations' to guarantee work-life balance; 'work retention programs' for job stability; and youth policy guidance services utilizing conversational artificial intelligence (AI).

There was also attention-grabbing policy proposals such as 'integrated support by job-seeking cycle,' providing tailored support policies for each job-seeking phase including entry, transition, and job change; and proposals to establish stepwise implementation plans linked with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), considering the characteristics of many SMEs in Gwangsan-gu.

Voices were raised on the need to operate dedicated youth support organizations that allow young people to voice their opinions on policies addressing jobs and life issues and participate in the policy implementation process.

After hours of discussion, a talk concert was held where Gwangsan-gu Mayor Park Byung-gyu and the youth shared the discussion results and communicated.

Mayor Park said, "It is somewhat sad to see young people having to struggle to find good jobs," but added, "The bold and creative imaginations, proposals, and challenges of youth will be the power to change reality."

He continued, "We will carefully heed the voices of the youth and actively reflect them in youth job policies to create tangible changes and results," and urged, "I hope the youth will continue to take an interest and make efforts in the process where today's voices become policies and are implemented."