The government is launching a new 'Youth First Employment Support System' aimed at assisting 160,000 young people without job experience, providing support from career exploration to counseling, training, work experience, and employment. Eligible youth will receive a monthly job-seeking allowance of 650,000 won for up to six months.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on September 1 that it has prepared a budget of 38.9537 trillion won for next year, an increase of 1.2776 trillion won (3.4%) from this year. The ministry plans to focus on three key areas: future, inclusivity, and security.
Specifically, the budget for youth-related programs will rise from 21.398 trillion won this year to 32.049 trillion won next year, an increase of 1.0651 trillion won. A ministry official stated, "The increase in the budget for youth programs is the largest for next year."
The Youth First Employment Support System is a separate initiative that eliminates the job experience requirement from the existing National Employment Support System. Previously, young people without job experience faced limitations in participating in the National Employment Support System.
The new program integrates career exploration, employment activity planning, vocational training, work experience, and job support. It will provide a monthly job-seeking allowance of 650,000 won for up to six months to 120,000 youth whose income is below 120% of the median and whose assets do not exceed 500 million won. The allowance will increase by 50,000 won from this year's 600,000 won.
Additionally, 40,000 youth who do not meet the job-seeking allowance criteria will receive assistance in developing employment activity plans and job support services. Those who create an employment activity plan will receive a one-time participation allowance of 150,000 to 200,000 won.
A ministry official remarked, "We have restructured the program to allow participation even without job experience, aiming to connect career exploration, work experience, and training to actual employment."
In addition to cash allowances, the government will expand vocational training and support for first-time career development. The K-New Deal Academy, which started this year, will increase its capacity from 10,000 to 50,000 participants next year, focusing on job training and real project participation in advanced industries such as AI and semiconductors.
A pilot program for youth AI first job career support will be launched with 750 participants. Youth will receive training in the AX field and participate in corporate activities, with the government covering labor costs and mentoring expenses. The scale of support will be gradually expanded based on the program's outcomes.
Furthermore, the Polytechnic Youth Stepping Stone Campus will be established in eight regions nationwide for youth who have taken a break and vocational high school students. A total of 56 billion won will be invested to provide technical experience, professional counseling, and pre-training before entering formal vocational training.
The Youth Job Leap Incentive will be restructured to enhance support for youth employed outside the capital region. Young people who secure jobs in non-capital region companies will receive up to 18 million won over two years.
Approximately 25 trillion won allocated for five labor ministry projects, including youth initiatives, will be transferred to a newly established Future Response Fund. While the Ministry of Planning and Finance will manage the fund, the labor ministry will oversee project design, budget allocation, and execution.
The government has not included the proposed 'one-time job-seeking allowance' for voluntarily resigning youth in this budget. A ministry official noted, "There were concerns that providing job-seeking allowances to voluntary leavers could lead to increased turnover in small businesses. We plan to develop supplementary measures before pursuing budget inclusion again."
The government is also taking steps to alleviate polarization. The 'Durunuri Project,' which supports social insurance premiums for small businesses, will be expanded to provide better protection for workers who were previously outside the social insurance system. The number of beneficiaries will increase from 1.08 million this year to 1.8 million next year.
Efforts to reduce industrial accident fatalities and wage arrears will also be accelerated. The government will invest 40.1 billion won to address gaps in industrial accident coverage and strengthen compensation systems, including the introduction of a pre-coverage system for industrial accident insurance. A new labor inspection training center will be established to enhance collaboration with local governments and improve the investigative capabilities of inspectors, while support for wage arrears recovery for affected workers will be expanded.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.