SEOUL -- GS Retail, the operator of the popular convenience store chain GS25, has forged a partnership with Seoul City to boost the employment rate of individuals aged 60 and above. The convenience store giant plans to employ up to one thousand seniors as delivery personnel for on-foot short-distance grocery deliveries.
In August 2020, GS25 teamed up with Yogiyo, a leading food delivery service app operator, to launch the on-foot delivery service. This initiative was introduced to meet the increasing demand for quick deliveries of groceries and daily necessities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Named "Wooridongnae Delivery" (My Town Delivery), GS25's on-foot food and grocery delivery service covers a radius of 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from each GS25 store. With 17,390 stores nationwide as of December 2023, the franchise allows individuals over 18 to register through a dedicated app and make deliveries for a fee of up to 3,200 won ($2.4) per run.
GS Retail announced its partnership with Seoul City as part of the capital city government's initiative to enhance elderly employment. The convenience store chain plans to hire individuals aged 60 and above as on-foot delivery personnel, with 250 people initially selected and up to one thousand deliverymen to be employed.
Both the company and the city government will collaborate on the recruitment and management of elderly delivery personnel, along with promotional efforts aimed at boosting elderly employment. "Our on-foot short-distance delivery service is ideal for seniors, as each delivery package is not very heavy. Additionally, our delivery personnel can assess the weight and distance before accepting a package, avoiding heavy loads," stated GS Retail's public relations officer Lee Yong-hee in an interview with Aju Korea Daily on March 19.
South Korea has witnessed a steady increase in employment, with over 300,000 people employed monthly for two consecutive months in January and February 2023. The number of employed individuals aged 60 and above saw a year-on-year increase of 297,000, with 98,000 individuals hired by the government and state organizations as public workers.
With about 30 percent of its population projected to be aged 75 and older by 2073, South Korea faces the challenges of an aging society compounded by a declining birth rate, which stood at 0.78 babies per couple in 2022. Government data forecasts a life expectancy of 80.6 years for South Korean males born in 2023 and 86.4 years for females.
A study led by Imperial College London's environmental health professor Majid Ezzati suggests that South Korea is poised to become the world's longest-living nation by 2030. The study predicts that by 2030, South Korean females will have a life expectancy of 90.8 years, while males are anticipated to live up to 84.1 years.
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