As South Korea faces a rapid decline in its working-age population due to low birth rates and aging, discussions are beginning on how to harmonize the entry of young workers into the labor market with the continued employment of middle-aged and elderly individuals. The goal is to reduce intergenerational job conflicts and prevent employment disruptions throughout the working life.
On July 16, the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) launched the 'Special Committee on Public Discussion of Demographic Changes and Employment' during its first plenary meeting held in Jongno, Seoul. The committee, chaired by Kim Ji-hyung, consists of 15 members from labor, management, government, and public interest sectors. It will operate for six months, with the possibility of a three-month extension if necessary.
This initiative comes in response to concerns that a decrease in the working-age population could lead to structural constraints on labor supply. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the proportion of individuals aged 65 and older is expected to rise to 31.7% by 2034. While young people are entering the job market later, the demand for continued work among middle-aged and elderly individuals is increasing, potentially intensifying job conflicts between generations.
The committee has identified two key issues: promoting 'coexistence jobs' that allow for the utilization of older workers while facilitating the entry of young workers without conflict, and reducing employment disruptions during the processes of hiring, mobility, transition, and re-employment, termed 'lifelong jobs.' Specific agendas, including stable job mobility systems, lifelong learning, and vocational training reforms, will be selected through a public discussion process.
This marks the first public discussion model of the ESLC that combines traditional labor-management dialogue with citizen participation. Instead of merely polling citizens on existing policies, this approach involves stakeholders and the public in designing detailed tasks and policy solutions together.
The citizen participation group will consist of 80% general citizens and 20% stakeholders, including labor, management, youth, women, non-regular workers, small businesses, and self-employed individuals. A total of 300 participants will be recruited, with 150 from the metropolitan area and 150 from non-metropolitan areas, considering factors such as region, gender, and age.
On August 8, the committee will conduct a preliminary mini-public discussion with 50 citizens and will also analyze opinions collected online using artificial intelligence (AI). Subsequently, regional public discussions will be held on August 30 in the metropolitan area and September 5 in non-metropolitan areas, with 150 citizens participating in each.
Following this, 100 participants from the citizen participation group will engage in an intensive public discussion over two days starting October 24. Based on the findings, a citizen proposal will be drafted by a 30-member citizen representative group, and a final proposal will be compiled by a 100-member citizen participation group in November. The committee will review these proposals and present a final report and white paper in January.
Kim Ji-hyung emphasized, “We must not adopt policies that push out older workers for the benefit of youth or reduce youth hiring for the sake of older individuals. We need to find concrete practical measures from the perspective of how everyone can work together for a long time.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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