100,000 Youth Work Experience Opportunities... Support for University Students' Job Preparation

Ministry of Employment Announces Youth Employment Support Plan at Public Livelihood Forum

Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, is delivering a greeting at the "Resolution Rally for Full Support in Preventing Serious Accidents in Small and Medium Enterprises" held on the 19th at the Seoul Southern Branch of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The government will provide customized employment services to 150,000 university students this year to help young people find jobs. Additionally, 100,000 young people, including university students, will be given opportunities for domestic and international work experience.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced these youth policies at a public discussion held in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi Province, under the theme "Korea Leaping Forward with the Power of Youth."

The Ministry plans to offer tailored employment services to 150,000 students nationwide this year through 50 University Job Plus Centers, supporting university students in career planning and job preparation. This is a significant increase from last year's 12 centers and 30,000 students. For lower-year students, the program helps with career and job exploration, while for upper-year students, it supports employment activity planning and provides training and work experience.

Work experience opportunities to enhance youth employment capabilities will also expand from 85,000 last year to over 100,000 this year. These include 48,000 from the private sector, 22,000 from public institutions, 5,000 from central government ministries, 5,700 overseas, and 25,000 in specialized fields.

To ensure work experience leads to job placement, connections will be strengthened, and young people participating in work experience at companies located in other regions will receive a monthly living allowance of 200,000 KRW. The K-Move School, which provides language and job training for youth seeking overseas employment, will operate for 3,100 participants this year and offer a monthly training incentive of up to 200,000 KRW.

Furthermore, 25,000 young people employed in sectors facing recruitment difficulties, such as manufacturing, will receive support payments of up to 2 million KRW, and small and medium-sized enterprises hiring youth facing employment challenges will be granted incentives of up to 12 million KRW.

The Ministry will also work to foster a fair and youth-friendly corporate culture that balances work and life. Online public and private recruitment portals will be monitored to prevent illegal job postings, and new sanctions will be introduced against unfair hiring practices such as fraudulent employment and employment succession.

Companies wishing to adopt flexible work arrangements will receive consulting and infrastructure investment support, and companies will be given incentives of up to 300,000 KRW per month per employee utilizing flexible work.