Up to 15 firms to be named; program aims to boost youth employment and settlement in the region
South Chungcheong Province is accepting applications for its 2026 Youth-Friendly Company designation through Sept. 30 to support youth employment and settlement in the region.
The program identifies and promotes companies that offer working conditions young people value — including competitive wages, welfare benefits and a positive work environment — and aims to spread a workplace culture welcoming to young workers.
The province designated five companies and institutions under the program in 2024 and 11 in 2025. This year, it plans to select around 15.
Small and midsize companies with headquarters, production facilities or other workplaces in the province are eligible to apply. Applications may be submitted through a recommendation from the relevant city or county, or directly by the company itself.
Selection proceeds in two stages: a first-round document review and a second-round on-site evaluation. The document review assesses wages, the length of time young employees have stayed with the company, the proportion of young staff, working hours, and welfare and communication conditions. The on-site evaluation examines the workplace environment, management's commitment to a youth-friendly culture, how young employees actually experience the workplace, and the potential for the company and its young workers to grow together.
The province has kept the overall framework of the existing selection criteria largely intact so companies can prepare with reference to previous years' standards, while adjusting the benchmarks for youth tenure and long-service special leave to better reflect current conditions, based on findings from last year's process.
Designated companies will hold youth-friendly company status for three years and receive a commendation and plaque from the governor. The province will also support them with IR events, preferential treatment in provincial youth employment projects, promotional content through the South Chungcheong Youth Portal, and exchange programs between young jobseekers and designated firms.
Applications may be submitted by official correspondence through the relevant city or county department, or directly to the province's Youth Policy Division by email.
"We will actively identify and promote companies with outstanding working conditions so that young people can find good jobs and settle down stably in the region," a provincial official said, urging small and midsize companies in the province that are building youth-friendly workplaces to apply.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
