S. Korea to add 50,000 more youth jobs next year, targeting 300,000 by 2030

The government plans to create about 50,000 more youth jobs across the private and public sectors next year compared with this year, as it moves to address a prolonged slump in youth employment. By 2030, it aims to generate 100,000 private-sector jobs and 100,000 public-sector jobs while nurturing more than 100,000 young entrepreneurs.

The government finalized the "Youth Employment Recovery Plan" at a joint emergency economic headquarters and economic ministers' meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol on Friday.

The plan goes beyond expanding vocational training, focusing instead on connecting trained young people to actual employment or startup opportunities and supporting career development after they find work.

On the private-sector side, job creation will center on emerging industries such as AI, advanced materials and biotech, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, science and technology, culture, infrastructure, agriculture and finance. Next year's targets by sector are 7,000 jobs in agriculture, 5,000 in small and medium-sized enterprises, 4,000 each in emerging industries and infrastructure, and 2,000 each in science and technology, culture and finance. The plan includes science and engineering positions at research institutes and universities, hiring-linked internships in gaming, tourism and sports, and projects related to smart construction, smart farms and fintech.

In the public sector, 30,000 posts will be created in education and research — hiring young people to support foundational learning at primary and secondary schools and to work in AI and digital education. An additional 20,000 "productive public jobs" covering tasks such as national and local tax arrears management will be added, along with 3,000 positions each in social solidarity economy, welfare, culture and overseas expansion. Public institution youth internships and similar programs will supply more than 25,000 slots.

Through these initiatives, the government aims to increase youth jobs in the private and public sectors by about 50,000 next year compared with this year. The count includes not only direct employment but also hiring-linked internships.

By 2030, the government plans to train more than 300,000 skilled workers across three major mega-projects and in advanced and youth-preferred fields. The K-New Deal Academy will expand fivefold — from 10,000 participants this year to 50,000 next year — while university and junior college boot camps will roughly double, from 13,000 to 25,000 participants.

A new "Youth Playground" initiative will be established to ensure training leads to actual employment. It will prioritize young people who completed government training programs but have yet to find work, offering work experience and mentoring from industry professionals while connecting them with companies that have hiring needs. In addition to an online platform, offline hubs will be set up at youth cafes.

The government will also strengthen tax support for young entrepreneurs in emerging industries and introduce a new guaranteed loan program worth 200 billion won ($145 million) for youth-founded small businesses. Through initiatives including the "Everyone's Startup Project," it aims to cultivate more than 100,000 young entrepreneurs by 2030.

Support to boost youth employment incentives will also be expanded. The subsidy for young people who take jobs outside the greater Seoul area under the Youth Job Leap Incentive program will increase from a maximum of 7.2 million won over two years to a maximum of 18 million won. Companies that hire young people who have completed government job-competency programs will be eligible for corporate support, with the scope expanded to include mid-sized firms in the greater Seoul area and large companies outside it.

Young workers employed at small businesses in regional areas will gain access to a new preferential track under the Youth Future Savings program, with the government matching contributions at 25 percent. The Youth Culture and Arts Pass will add sports to its coverage and broaden its eligible age range from 19-20 to 19-34. Support previously available only once in a lifetime will be extended so recipients can apply every year.

After employment, career management support will be strengthened. The existing job competency bank system will be expanded into a "Career Bank" that integrates qualifications, education, training and work history in a single record. Work experience, university majors, certified language scores and military service will also be linked, with a unified recognition certificate issued. To ease the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises in developing young talent, job transfer and career transition items will be added to the permitted uses of the large-SME mutual cooperation fund.

The government estimates the overall employment creation effect will reach more than 90,000 people next year, combining the net increase of 50,000 private and public jobs with the employment effect from expanded workforce training. The calculation assumes that increasing the number of trainees in advanced and youth-preferred fields by about 80,000 next year compared with this year, and applying an estimated post-training employment rate of about 52 percent, would translate into employment for roughly 40,000 of them. However, a lag of one to two years between completing training and finding work is anticipated.

The plan comes as youth employment conditions have worsened, with the employment rate for 25-to-29-year-olds — the age group entering the labor market in the largest numbers — falling into a declining trend from last year, following a similar drop among those aged 20 to 24. The number of young people classified as "resting" — neither working nor actively seeking employment — has recently declined to around 370,000 but remains high. The government also views the displacement of entry-level and junior positions by AI and the dual structure of the labor market as factors making it harder for young people to enter the workforce.