Ministry of Employment and Labor Releases Roadmap for Mid-to-Late Career Certification Acquisition
Synergy Effect Confirmed When Advancing from Engineer to Master Craftsman or Professional Engineer
A clear pathway has been identified in which middle-aged individuals in their 50s and 60s experience structural wage increases by sequentially acquiring national technical qualifications. The impact on wage growth varied significantly depending on how core technical certifications, such as industrial safety, fire protection systems, construction safety, and electrical engineering, were accumulated.
A job seeker is looking at the recruitment board at an employment center in Seoul last month. (This photo is not directly related to the article). The Asia Business Daily DB
On December 31, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training released a "Mid-to-Late Career Qualification Acquisition Roadmap" by analyzing wage data according to the qualification levels of individuals aged 50 to under 65 who had obtained national technical certifications. This analysis focused on the top five most frequently acquired engineer-level certifications among middle-aged individuals over the past ten years, from 2015 onward. The study tracked wage changes not only after obtaining these certifications but also when individuals acquired other certifications before or after and re-entered the workforce, thereby identifying which combinations of certifications produced a "synergy effect."
The field with the largest wage increase was industrial safety. The average monthly wage for holders of the "Industrial Safety Industrial Engineer" certification was about 3.46 million won, but this rose to approximately 3.75 million won upon obtaining the "Industrial Safety Engineer" certification. Furthermore, acquiring an additional "Hazardous Materials Master Craftsman" certification increased the average monthly wage to about 5.08 million won. This is an increase of 1.33 million won compared to holding only the engineer-level certification, indicating that obtaining related certifications can serve as a turning point for wage growth.
In the fire protection systems field, acquiring additional certifications also led to wage increases. For example, in fire protection (electrical), the average monthly wage for holders of the "Fire Protection Systems Industrial Engineer" certification was about 2.99 million won, which increased to approximately 3.13 million won with the "Fire Protection Systems Engineer" certification. With the additional acquisition of the "Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineer" certification, the average monthly wage rose to about 3.72 million won. Similarly, in the fire protection (mechanical) field, the "Fire Protection Systems Industrial Engineer" certification yielded about 2.92 million won, while the "Fire Protection Systems Engineer" certification resulted in an average monthly wage of around 3.05 million won. When the "Construction Safety Engineer" certification was added, the wage increased to approximately 3.78 million won.
In the construction safety field, a clear trend was observed where higher qualification levels corresponded to higher wages. The average monthly wage for holders of the "Construction Safety Industrial Engineer" certification was about 3.83 million won, rising to approximately 4.13 million won for "Construction Safety Engineer" holders, and reaching around 4.51 million won for those with the "Construction Safety Professional Engineer" certification. Those who obtained both the construction safety engineer and concrete engineer certifications also earned an average monthly wage of about 4.51 million won, similar to holders of the professional engineer certification.
A similar pattern was found in the electrical engineering field. The average monthly wage increased stepwise: 2.61 million won for "Electrical Technician," 2.80 million won for "Electrical Industrial Engineer," and 2.92 million won for "Electrical Engineer." After obtaining the engineer-level certification, those who additionally acquired the "Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineer" certification saw their average monthly wage jump to 3.57 million won, demonstrating a pronounced increase.
Based on these findings, the government plans to significantly expand specialized training programs for middle-aged individuals at Korea Polytechnics and to broaden policies supporting career transitions and reemployment for this demographic.
Kwon Jin-ho, Director General of the Integrated Employment Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, stated, "We hope this roadmap will serve as a useful reference for middle-aged individuals to identify effective combinations of certifications and develop reemployment strategies. The government will continue to expand policy packages that connect information provision, vocational training, work experience, job placement, and employment incentives to broaden job opportunities for the middle-aged workforce."
Those seeking more information on certifications can visit the Human Resources Development Service of Korea's National Technical Qualifications website, while those interested in training courses for certification acquisition should refer to the Employment24 website.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
