Labor minister meets discouraged job-seekers, vows stronger program links

Kim Young-hoon, minister of employment and labor, visited a youth employment support site Thursday to hear from young people who have given up on job-seeking and pledged to strengthen coordination among youth support programs.

Kim attended a youth roundtable held at Threeroom Cafe in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, where he exchanged views with participants in the government's Youth Challenge Support Project and Youth Growth Project.

The roundtable was organized to gather firsthand experiences and improvement suggestions from young people who have used the government's youth employment policies, with the aim of incorporating their feedback into future policy direction.

The Youth Challenge Support Project targets young people who have stopped looking for work, offering tailored programs including one-on-one counseling, case management and career exploration, along with a participation allowance. Since the project launched in 2021, about 47,000 people have received support through June this year.

The Youth Growth Project is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local governments that operates "youth cafes" — spaces where young people can prepare for employment. The cafes offer career counseling, job-readiness programs and information on national and local employment policies. From last year through June this year, about 110,000 people used the service.

One participant said that after an extended period out of work, maintaining a regular routine had become difficult, but joining the Youth Challenge Support Project helped restore a daily schedule and gave them space to think about their future again.

"We will strengthen coordination between the Youth Challenge Support Project and the Youth Growth Project so that more young people can access the support they need," Kim said. "We will actively reflect voices from the field to build policies that young people can genuinely feel in their lives."