73% of Metropolitan Baby Boomers Say "Willing to Relocate to Rural Areas If Jobs Are Available"

Korea Economic Association and Monoresearch Survey on Rural Relocation Intentions
7 out of 10 Say "Willing to Relocate If Employed Locally"
79.9% of Men Express Willingness... Top Reason Is "Health"
Preference for "Management/Office Work" and "Part-Time Positions" in Local Employment
Stable Housing Facilities Needed to Promote Rural Relocation

It has been found that 7 out of 10 members of the "baby boomer" generation (born between 1955 and 1974) living in the Seoul metropolitan area and approaching retirement are considering relocating to rural areas.

However, they cited employment opportunities at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) outside the metropolitan area as a key condition for relocation. This suggests that they are willing to actively pursue relocation if the employment issue is resolved. The intention was particularly strong among men, with 79.9% expressing willingness, a much higher rate than among women.

On November 5, the Korea Economic Association announced these findings based on a survey conducted by the polling agency Monoresearch targeting metropolitan area baby boomers. Of the 500 respondents, 73% (365 people) said they would relocate to non-metropolitan areas if provided with job opportunities at local SMEs.

Among baby boomers willing to relocate, the top reason cited was "maintaining a healthy lifestyle" (24.6%). This was followed by "a more relaxed life and rest" (22.9%), "a nature-friendly environment" (20.7%), and "reduced housing and living expenses" (15.6%).

The most preferred relocation destination was the Chungcheong region (32.9%), followed by the Gangwon region (27.4%), the Honam region (15.9%), and the Yeongnam region (10.4%). As for preferred job roles, "management and office work" (30.7%) was the most popular, followed by "service and sales positions" (20.7%), "agriculture, forestry, and fisheries" (15.9%), and "production and manufacturing" (14.8%). In terms of preferred work type, "part-time" (47.7%) ranked highest, followed by "either is acceptable" (42.7%), and "full-time" (9.6%). This indicates that, due to physical burden and other reasons, the proportion hoping for part-time work is much higher than for full-time work. The most desired minimum monthly wage was "between 2 million and 2.5 million won" (32.6%), followed by "between 1.5 million and 2 million won" (30.7%), and "between 2.5 million and 3 million won" (26.8%). The average preferred wage calculated from these responses was 2.27 million won per month.

Among baby boomers who are not willing to relocate (135 people), the main reasons were "lack of living infrastructure (medical, education, culture, etc.)" (27.8%), "familiarity with urban life" (17.0%), "inconvenient transportation and accessibility" (15.2%), and "difficulty securing stable jobs and income" (11.1%).

The Korea Economic Association also asked metropolitan area baby boomers about the "tripartite alliance" cooperation structure proposed by the association. The association envisions a tripartite alliance in which metropolitan baby boomers, local small and medium-sized cities, and local SMEs all benefit from increased employment and relocation of baby boomers to regional SMEs.

Respondents expressed agreement with the association's idea. Eight out of ten metropolitan baby boomers (79.0%) said they would be willing to relocate if the tripartite alliance model were implemented. This is a higher rate than the intention to relocate based solely on SME employment opportunities (73.0%), suggesting that the tripartite alliance model could be an effective alternative to promote relocation among metropolitan baby boomers. Regarding the expected effects of the tripartite alliance model, the most common responses were "alleviating metropolitan concentration and promoting balanced development" (24.8%), "securing stable jobs and income for baby boomers" (18.6%), "increasing population inflow and revitalizing local communities" (13.9%), and "resolving workforce shortages at local SMEs" (13.2%).

For policies to promote the activation of the tripartite alliance model, metropolitan baby boomers most frequently cited "providing stable housing facilities such as rental housing" (22.6%). This was followed by "providing jobs at local SMEs and stable employment" (18.6%), "strengthening local medical and welfare services" (12.0%), and "tailored financial support such as settlement funds for newcomers" (12.0%).

Lee Sangho, Head of the Economic and Industrial Division at the Korea Economic Association, said, "The concentration in the metropolitan area and shrinking domestic demand are deepening the difficulties of regional economies. If we can encourage baby boomers in the metropolitan area who are approaching retirement to return to their hometowns and find new employment locally, it will not only ease metropolitan concentration but also greatly help revitalize regional economies and domestic demand."