The spread of artificial intelligence (AI) is diminishing job opportunities for young people, prompting calls for the government to proactively adjust its youth employment policies to address changes in industrial structure.
During a National Assembly audit on employment and labor on October 13, Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon responded to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jeong regarding youth employment measures. He acknowledged that the Ministry of Labor's employment policies have often been reactive, stating, "In the past, our employment policies tended to follow industrial policies. Moving forward, I believe we need to lead alongside industrial policies."
Lawmaker Park identified the spread of AI as a primary cause of declining youth employment. He referenced a recent issue note from the Bank of Korea, highlighting that the number of jobs for young people has decreased by 285,000 over the past four years. Notably, 268,000 of these job losses occurred in sectors with high exposure to AI, accounting for 94% of the total decline.
Park noted, "While the overall number of employed individuals has increased, the number of employed young people has been on the decline since peaking in 2022. In the AI era, the emphasis on the judgment skills of experienced workers is making it increasingly difficult for young people to enter these fields." He added that employment policies should not merely react to social phenomena but should instead lead the changes in industrial structure.
The lack of specific criteria for the government's goal of creating 'good jobs' was also criticized. Park pointed out, "The government is promoting the training of specialized personnel in fields favored by young people and the expansion of quality jobs, yet there are no official standards for determining what constitutes a good job."
Minister Kim acknowledged this gap, stating, "We have not yet quantified these standards. We will focus our policy efforts on creating quality jobs that meet the expectations of young people and will strive to secure more budget for this purpose." He also mentioned plans to establish criteria for good jobs based on standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the near future.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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