Why MZ Public Officials from the Ministry of SMEs Visited the Root Industry Site

Ministry of SMEs and Startups Finds Answers on Site with Young and Fresh Perspectives

On the 9th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that the 'Government Innovation Avengers,' composed of new MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) public officials with less than three years of service, experienced the processes at the root industry sites and listened to the industry's opinions.

The root industry is a foundational industry that enhances the competitiveness of key manufacturing sectors such as automobiles, shipbuilding, and IT, which are national core industries. However, despite its importance, it faces challenges such as youth employment avoidance due to the perception of being a 3D job sector and uncertainties in securing foreign labor.

This time, the Government Innovation Avengers members visited the Korea Mold Industry Cooperative, received explanations about processes such as machining and injection molding, and directly experienced hands-on practice. They also listened to vivid on-site voices and difficulties faced by the root industry, including labor shortages, the establishment of the delivery payment linkage system, responses to the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the introduction of smart factories, and carbon neutrality issues.

Afterwards, they visited Oseong Tech, a small and medium-sized enterprise in the root industry, to tour the production process of products and cases where ICT smart processes were applied. In addition, they visited the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority located in Songdo, Incheon, received explanations about the government's role in attracting foreign investment, and explored the possibility of collaboration with regulatory free zones operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Yoo Hye-seong, a staff member of the Human Resources Policy Division who visited the site, said, “We will continue to actively visit policy sites and communicate with the industry to plan good policies to resolve the manpower shortage of our SMEs.”

No Yong-seok, Policy Planning Officer of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “To realize this year’s government innovation direction of ‘a government that solves problems well,’ it is necessary to understand the actual sites of small and medium enterprises,” adding, “We will create an environment where field staff can communicate with policy targets in the future.”