- Expanding joint job fairs to regional areas and promoting the expansion of high-quality work experience and training opportunities
- Establishing and operating the “(tentative title) Youth Employment Win-Win Council” to expand job opportunities
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (Minister Young-hoon Kim), together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, held the “Declaration Ceremony for the First Step in Youth Employment” on December 8 (Monday), at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, in cooperation with five major business organizations—the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea Employers Federation, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Federation of SMEs, and the Korea Enterprises Federation.
This declaration was organized with the aim of reviewing this year’s youth employment support efforts by economic organizations, companies, and the government, and discussing and implementing ways to further expand such efforts, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the “Youth Employment First Step Guarantee,” announced on September 10.
Economic organizations, companies, and the government agreed to expand public–private joint job fairs in 2026 beyond the metropolitan area to regional areas as well. In addition, they decided to work together to expand corporate recruitment briefings in cooperation with regional universities, so that job information can be more equally provided to the youth in local areas. Further, they plan to actively identify and expand a wide range of work experience and training programs involving large enterprises, mid-sized companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Specialized collaborative initiatives with each economic organization will also be pursued. The Federation of Korean Industries will establish the “(tentative title) Youth Employment Win-Win Council” together with chief human resources officers (CHROs) of major conglomerates to discuss hiring conditions and related issues. The Korea Employers Federation and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry agreed to work together to expand programs such as work experience and training opportunities tailored to the needs and perspectives of young people. The Korea Federation of SMEs and the Korea Enterprises Federation pledged to actively addressing job mismatches by providing job information and carrying out awareness-raising activities.
Minister Young-hoon Kim stated, “Only when every young person can work happily can we brighten the future of youth and connect it to the growth of companies and the nation.” He added, “Youth employment is a challenge that must be addressed together by the government, businesses, and the nation as a whole, and the government, economic organizations, and companies will actively carry out today’s commitments so that young people can look to the future with hope rather than anxiety.”