"Not a Part-Time Job"... Busan City Supports Senior Employment in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Busan Launches Senior Professional Employment Support Project
Up to 4.8 Million KRW per Person for Companies Hiring Workers Aged 60 and Above

A senior employment project focused on experienced professionals, rather than traditional welfare jobs for the elderly such as short-term part-time work or public service positions, is being launched in Busan. This initiative provides wage subsidies to companies that hire experienced senior workers.

The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on the 17th that it will fully implement the "Busan-Type Senior Suitable Job Recruitment Support Project" to expand the hiring of experienced senior workers in response to the aging population.

This project aims to create a labor market where senior professionals with abundant knowledge and experience can work longer, in line with the aging population and the increasing economic activity of older adults.

Unlike previous welfare-oriented senior job programs, which focused on vulnerable groups or simple tasks, this project is designed to expand continued employment and reemployment of senior workers by connecting them with local companies.

Based on senior-suitable jobs selected by the Busan Research Institute in 2024, Busan City has identified the 2025 Busan-Type Senior Suitable Jobs that reflect local industry characteristics and corporate demand.

The selected jobs mainly include management, administration, finance, insurance, research, engineering, education, social welfare, installation, maintenance, and production positions. In particular, companies hiring for management, administration, finance, insurance, education, and social welfare positions will be given priority in the selection process. Positions with a high proportion of elderly workers or those that are easy to fill have been excluded from the suitable jobs list.

For this project, companies that hire job seekers aged 60 or older for "Busan-Type Senior Suitable Jobs" designated by the city will receive a wage subsidy of up to 600,000 KRW per person per month for eight months, totaling up to 4.8 million KRW per person.

Each company can receive incentives for up to 10 hires, with a maximum of 48 million KRW in total. In addition, workers hired by companies participating in the "Senior Suitable Job Recruitment Support Project" can receive a job promotion allowance of 100,000 KRW per month for up to six months, totaling up to 600,000 KRW.

This year, a new category called "Senior With Job" has been introduced, which provides additional incentives when two or more part-time workers are hired for the same position. Notably, companies that rehire employees after retirement are also eligible for support.

The "Senior With Job" category is designed to address difficulties in participation caused by mismatched preferred working hours between companies (full-time) and workers (part-time). If two part-time workers share the same job by splitting hours or days, the company will receive additional incentives.

Participating companies in this category will receive up to 1.2 million KRW in additional operating expenses, on top of wage subsidies.

Any small or medium-sized business in Busan, or unemployed individuals under 60 residing in Busan as of the hiring date, can apply for this support program. Applications can be submitted online through the Senior Busan Jobs website starting from the 17th.

Part-time workers working more than 15 hours per week and non-regular employees are also eligible. Detailed information on suitable jobs, eligibility criteria, and other specifics can be found in the recruitment announcement posted on the Busan Jobs website.

Kim Bongcheol, Director of the Digital Economy Office of Busan Metropolitan Government, stated, "We expect that seniors in Busan will be able to find reemployment more quickly in jobs that make use of their experience and expertise," adding, "We plan to implement various policies to create jobs for the senior population and ask for the active interest and participation of Busan companies."