Seocho Women's Job Corporation Turns Profitable in Just 3 Years Since Launch

Starting with 3 employees, 74 people including socially vulnerable and career-retaining women
Last year's sales 3.3 billion KRW... Active in 6 projects including commercial area revitalization

Yangjae Art Salon view. Provided by Seocho-gu.

Seocho-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 5th that the ‘Seocho Women’s Job Corporation,’ a job creation specialized institution established nationwide for the first time in 2021 to support socially vulnerable groups and women with career breaks, has turned a profit within three years of its launch, solidifying a stable operational foundation.

Seocho Women’s Job Corporation is a district-invested institution and a stock company under commercial law, striving to develop high-quality job models with the goal of generating profits beyond public interest. It started with three employees and now has 74 employees.

The company operates six projects: ▲‘Commercial Area Revitalization Project (Local Branding)’ to boost the local economy by creating attractive commercial districts ▲‘Public Facility Cleaning Project’ providing jobs for seniors aged 60 and above ▲‘Neulpul Planterior’ and ‘Neulbom Cafe,’ specialized jobs for women with career breaks ▲‘Artterior Project’ improving small business interiors in collaboration with local artists ▲‘Dream is Dreaming Education Project’ for students, women, and middle-aged individuals to pursue their dreams, among others.

Among these, the Commercial Area Revitalization Project is the company’s main business. The company participates as a commercial district development organization in the district’s ‘Yangjaecheon-gil Local Brand Project,’ serving as a hub for the local commercial area, enhancing its appeal, and achieving significant results such as ranking first in sales among Seoul’s local brand commercial districts.

Additionally, the ‘Yangjae Art Salon (craft-focused free market)’ held at Yangjaecheon last spring was selected as one of the top 10 festivals in the Ranking Pie Seoul event over eight weeks, establishing itself as a representative local free market in Seoul.

Furthermore, through the ‘Artterior Project,’ a small business store improvement initiative, the company provides work experience to local artists and creates jobs for vulnerable groups by directly employing seniors aged 60 and above to clean public facilities through the ‘Public Cleaning Project.’

Also, ‘Neulpul Planterior’ and ‘Neulbom Cafe,’ where women with career breaks utilize their skills, have created profit-sharing models in collaboration with Yangjae Flower Market and are actively working with the Korea office of the International Fair Trade Organization to expand fair trade product desserts, fostering mutual growth with the community.

Operating diverse businesses such as education technology, branding, cafes, interior and landscaping, and cleaning?fields with high female participation?has resulted in remarkable achievements by creating job models that allow women from various sectors to participate.

All jobs apply the Seocho-gu living wage (KRW 11,436 per hour), which is higher than the minimum wage, and have introduced flexible working hours and telecommuting systems to increase employee satisfaction. Last year, the company recorded its highest sales of approximately KRW 3.3 billion, achieving profitability within three years of establishment.

The company reported that 94.5% of employees are ‘satisfied with their work,’ and 89% expressed a desire to ‘continue working.’ External customer satisfaction from the 2024 management evaluation scored 4.77 out of 5, receiving high marks for responsiveness and promptness during service processes.

Lee Jae-eun, CEO of Seocho Women’s Job Corporation, emphasized, “We are continuously developing a business model that steadily generates profits, even if slowly,” adding, “Our pride and meaning lie in not accumulating the generated business profits but expanding and investing them into job projects to create a virtuous cycle of employment.”

District Mayor Jeon Seong-su stated, “Seocho Women’s Job Corporation is significant in helping women with career breaks return to the jobs they desire and allowing them to feel socially rewarding by contributing to the local community,” and added, “Based on the solid foundation we have built, we will strive for a second leap forward.”