Gwanak-gu Creates Jobs Based on Population Structure...Changing Gwanak's 'Economic Map'

Efforts to Create Jobs Based on Population Structure with 41% Youth and 18% Seniors... Budget and Policy Support Show Results
Gwanak S Valley's Youth Employment Policies Including Job Preparation Support Achieve Higher Youth Employment Rate than Seoul
Concurrent Support for Seniors' 'Jobs' and 'Care'... Helper Selection and Stable Meal Provision through Lunch Service at Senior Centers Draw Attention

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) is home to approximately 500,000 residents. Among them, youth make up 41% of the total population, while the elderly population aged 65 and over accounts for 18% and is steadily increasing.

Accordingly, the district is focusing on implementing economic policies for the 'youth and elderly,' who constitute 60% of the residents, to build a solid local economic foundation.

Despite difficult financial conditions, Gwanak-gu has entered the 1 trillion won era based on the 2024 main budget and has been investing primarily in the 'economy and jobs' sector under the theme of 'a bigger and stronger economy.' Among this, the budget for youth and elderly jobs is 26.3 billion won, an increase of about 43% compared to 2021.

Last year, the district created a total of 10,847 jobs for youth and the elderly, and this year, it is striving to provide more quality jobs to residents through an expanded job budget.

The successful promotion of 'Gwanak S Valley' cannot be overlooked in creating jobs for youth. The district has established 17 startup infrastructure facilities, with 136 startup companies residing there, creating a large number of quality jobs for youth. Currently, more than 1,000 young people are developing their capabilities in various fields within Gwanak S Valley.

Young people having a meeting in the Gwanak S Valley startup incubation space

The district has not overlooked support to strengthen the employment capabilities of youth as well as jobs. Representative examples include the 'Interview Image Studio' and support for 'language and certification exam fees' provided for young people who have just entered the job market.

Thanks to these efforts, the youth employment rate in Gwanak-gu in the first half of this year reached 53.5%, higher than the national average (46.6%) and Seoul city average (50.9%).

The district’s policies for the elderly are somewhat more special. As elderly poverty and solitary deaths intensify these days, the district has determined that it is essential to combine 'jobs' and 'care' for the elderly and has taken steps to achieve both.

This year, through 69 projects across 4 types of elderly jobs, the district is currently providing jobs for 4,383 elderly residents. Major projects include ▲Lunch assistants at senior centers ▲Nono Care ▲Public facility volunteering ▲School commute safety guardians.

The 'Lunch Assistants at Senior Centers' project supports providing stable and smooth lunch services to elderly residents at senior centers. Currently, lunch assistants receive an activity allowance (290,000 won) along with additional pay (80,000 won) depending on the number of working days and intensity.

Providing lunch at senior centers also greatly contributes to elderly care projects. The district secured its own budget early and proactively implemented 'expansion of lunch support to five days a week' ahead of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s announcement. This year, the food cost budget was increased by more than 25% compared to the previous year to 630 million won, and currently, 109 senior centers (95%) provide lunch five days a week.

The district has also carried out organizational restructuring during the 7th local government term with the establishment of the Job Venture Division and Youth Policy Division, and during the 8th term with the Elderly Welfare Division, to focus on discovering policies and projects that respond to changing population structures and generational demands.

As a result, over the past four years, more than 10,000 jobs have been created annually, and last year, a visible achievement was made by providing 12,598 jobs to residents.

Elderly Job Safety Keeper greeting the elderly with Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu

In particular, the district has created the most 'public jobs' among Seoul’s autonomous districts for five consecutive years and was honored with the '2024 National Local Government Job Award' hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor for three consecutive years last August.

The 'Gwanak Job Happiness Corporation,' currently being established with the goal of operating in 2025, is also expected to contribute to promoting employment for vulnerable groups, responsible management, and providing quality jobs through public agency revenue projects.

District Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “I am pleased to see the results of our full efforts to create an environment where residents can work, based on the belief that ‘jobs are the best welfare.’ We will continue to support residents’ employment, startups, and business growth to draw a happiness map for our residents.”