Full-scale Implementation of the 'Middle-aged Career Support Program'... Kim Moon-soo "Supporting Reemployment of Office Workers in Their 50s"

Career Transition Work Experience Program Launched
for 910 Middle-Aged and Older Workers

Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated on the 13th, "We will support middle-aged and older workers who have retired early from office jobs to quickly re-employ in their desired positions by gaining work experience and building their careers at companies."

Minister Kim made these remarks while attending a meeting held at the Korea Association of Management Innovation Small and Medium Enterprises to officially launch the Middle-aged and Older Career Support Program. Four companies wishing to participate in the program, as well as the Korea Association of Management Innovation Small and Medium Enterprises and representatives of middle-aged and older workers, attended the meeting to discuss ways to establish the system on the ground.

The Middle-aged and Older Career Support Program is a project that provides "career transition work experience" opportunities for people in their 50s who retire from their existing workplaces and wish to build new careers. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is launching a pilot project this year targeting 910 participants.

This program is characterized by offering middle-aged and older workers, who have received training or obtained qualifications but lack actual work experience and thus find re-employment difficult, opportunities for on-site practical experience at companies, job mentoring by senior employees, and basic practical education such as communication and digital skills. Participants receive a monthly participation allowance of up to 1.5 million KRW for 1 to 3 months, and companies receive an operational support fund of up to 400,000 KRW per participant per month.

Since the 4th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has been accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis from middle-aged and older workers and companies at six employment centers in Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, and Daejeon (Chungcheong), as well as at the Middle-aged and Older Tomorrow Centers. The ministry plans to promote a continuous employment support system tailored to the life cycle of middle-aged and older workers as the project progresses.

Specifically, from the 40s, which is a life transition period, career design services will be provided to prepare for a second working life. For those in their 50s, who have a high possibility of early retirement, 150,000 good jobs will be discovered over three years in categories such as promising qualification type, career transition type, and career connection type to help them re-employ quickly. For those in their 60s and beyond, the ministry plans to institutionalize continuous employment to ensure stable work.

Minister Kim said, "Many middle-aged and older workers retire around the age of 50 despite being healthy and capable." He added, "We will ensure that middle-aged and older workers who have invested significant time and money to obtain qualifications and complete training do not fail to find employment due to lack of experience," and predicted, "We will provide various work experience opportunities to middle-aged and older workers and support their second life in multiple ways."