Workers who transitioned from running a restaurant for over a decade to becoming semiconductor engineers have been recognized by the government as exemplary cases of middle-aged employment.
On September 30, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Labor-Management Development Foundation held a ceremony at the CCMM Building in Seoul, themed 'Connecting Regions, Nurturing the Middle-Aged.' The event included awards for five individuals and twelve companies selected through the 'Outstanding Cases of Middle-Aged Reemployment' and 'Best Practices in Reemployment Support Services.'
Choi Myung-cheol, who received the Minister of Labor Award, closed his restaurant due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sought career development counseling at the Middle-Aged Tomorrow Center to prepare for a new job. He completed a four-day short-term training course in semiconductor technology and a four-week specialized program at Korea Polytechnic University’s Semiconductor Convergence Campus, and is now working as a vacuum valve overhaul engineer in the semiconductor industry.
Shin Jeong-sook, 54, experienced a career interruption after working in the finance sector for over a decade due to the foreign exchange crisis. After trying various jobs, including librarian, instructor, and barista, she participated in the middle-aged career support program, gaining three months of office experience and obtaining a computerized accounting certification. She currently handles administrative and accounting tasks at a social cooperative.
Examples of local companies and institutions hiring middle-aged workers were also highlighted. In Busan, the cargo packing and inspection company, Hae Yang Corporation, collaborated with the Busan Employment Center and the Middle-Aged Tomorrow Center to design a training course for port inspection work, leading to the hiring of middle-aged personnel.
The Seoul Village Bus Transportation Association implemented a middle-aged career support program to address labor shortages among transport workers. After hiring ten middle-aged workers from six transport companies last year, they expanded to twenty hires across fourteen companies this year. The Sinan Transportation Foundation also partnered with the Gwangju Middle-Aged Tomorrow Center to establish a training program for passenger ship crew members, providing practical experience to those who completed the training.
Good Morning Hospital of the Baeksong Medical Foundation and Korea Kolma received the Minister of Labor Award for their reemployment support service operations. Good Morning Hospital established a 'Career Development Support Committee' with partner companies, including workers from those companies in the reemployment support service. They recognized all training hours for on-site workers, such as cooking, cleaning, and parking management, as paid work time.
Korea Kolma revised its employment regulations to provide a legal basis for reemployment support services and designated a dedicated team for talent development. They adjusted training schedules to accommodate the commuting distances and work schedules of employees across their nationwide locations, including Sejong and Bucheon.
Minister of Labor Kim Young-hoon stated, 'Middle-aged employment is no longer an option but a necessity,' adding that the ministry will enhance AI-based career planning, incentives, specialized training for middle-aged workers at polytechnic institutions, and integrated services through dedicated employment center staff.
Park Jong-pil, Secretary General of the Labor-Management Development Foundation, emphasized the need to support regular career assessments from the employment stage and to strengthen reemployment support services, expanding consulting to small and medium-sized enterprises to ensure these services are effectively implemented in the workplace.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.