The government’s direct job creation program has surpassed its annual target, with 1,343,000 positions filled as of the end of August. The government plans to assess the execution status of each program by year-end and will pursue additional hiring if resources allow.
On September 9, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labor held a joint task force meeting at the Government Seoul Building, led by Deputy Minister Kang Gi-ryong and Employment Policy Director Lim Young-mi, to review the current status of direct job creation and preparations for next year’s employment initiatives.
The direct job creation program, aimed at supporting employment stability for vulnerable groups, has hired 1,343,000 individuals by the end of August. This figure exceeds the initial target of 1,271,000 for August by 72,000 and the annual goal of 1,288,000 by 55,000, achieving approximately 104.3% of the annual target.
The government will continue to monitor the execution status of each program until the end of the year and plans to pursue additional hiring if resources are available. It also aims to continuously identify and expand productive public jobs that contribute to social benefits through inter-agency collaboration.
During the meeting, officials noted that while the overall employment growth trend is recovering, conditions remain challenging for youth and certain sectors.
In August, the number of employed individuals increased by 184,000 compared to the same month last year. This marks the third consecutive month of growth, following increases of 63,000 in June and 108,000 in July.
The decline in manufacturing employment decreased from 68,000 in July to 38,000 in August, while construction jobs fell from 57,000 to 32,000. Conversely, the agricultural, forestry, and fishery sectors saw a larger decline, from 80,000 to 109,000 during the same period.
The drop in the youth employment rate compared to the same month last year narrowed from 1.6 percentage points in July to 1.0 percentage point in August. The number of youth who were 'inactive' has also decreased for seven consecutive months, but the government assessed that challenges in youth employment persist.
The government believes that rising tensions in the Middle East and a base effect from last September, when employment increased by 312,000, could act as constraints on future employment growth.
In response, the government plans to strengthen the preparation and promotion of key employment projects reflected in the 2027 budget proposal. A core task of the recently announced 'Youth Job Recovery Plan' is to ensure that young people are informed about support systems ahead of next year’s budget confirmation, allowing them to apply and participate in advance.
The government will also expedite the collaboration plans among departments and agencies for the 'Youth Playground,' set to be established next year. This platform aims to connect manpower with jobs, facilitating the matching of trained youth with available work opportunities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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