More than 200 companies, including youth-friendly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and outstanding firms from the Busan region, are participating in a large-scale job fair in Busan.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor, in collaboration with the city of Busan and KB Kookmin Bank, is hosting the '2026 KB Good Job Busan Job Festival' on October 26 at the Busan BEXCO Exhibition Center. The event features over 200 SMEs, including those recognized as youth-friendly companies by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
The job fair will operate seven recruitment halls, including those for youth-friendly SMEs, outstanding Busan companies, future growth companies, women-friendly distribution and logistics firms, and major corporate partners.
Youth-friendly SMEs are selected based on criteria such as youth employment performance, work-life balance, wage levels, revenue growth rates, and operating profit margins. Companies that have been publicly listed for wage arrears, industrial accidents, tax delinquencies, or confirmed unfair dismissals are excluded from the selection process.
This year, 224 companies have been designated as youth-friendly SMEs, with the designation valid from 2026 to 2028. Selected companies will receive benefits such as recruitment information through Job24, preferential selection for support projects from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of SMEs, and interest rate discounts from KB Kookmin Bank.
The fair also includes support for job seekers and hiring companies. KB Kookmin Bank will provide a 10,000 won interview support fund to the first 500 job seekers participating in interviews at the event. Companies hiring full-time employees will receive a recruitment subsidy of 1 million won per hire, with a maximum limit of 10 million won per company.
Programs aimed at enhancing the employment capabilities of young job seekers will also be offered. A seminar will introduce the latest hiring trends and job search strategies based on data, while a talk concert will address pre-registered employment and career concerns. Corporate recruitment presentations will feature companies like SK Hynix and Taejo Engineering, providing information on their hiring processes.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor will operate a promotional booth for youth employment policies, providing information on youth-friendly SMEs, youth employment incentive programs, youth experience initiatives, and the K-New Deal Academy. Customized employment consulting and AI interview experiences will also be available as interactive programs.
Korea Polytechnic University, a co-organizer of the fair, will operate 12 vocational experience booths where participants can directly engage with semiconductor production, industrial safety, humanoid robots, and autonomous vehicle control. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about physical AI technology using functioning humanoid robots and experience industrial safety through virtual reality (VR).
The Ministry anticipates that this job fair will provide valuable hiring information from capable SMEs to young job seekers and expand practical hiring opportunities between companies and job seekers. Interested job seekers can check detailed recruitment information, including job openings and working conditions, on the official job fair website.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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