Seven financial firms join effort to help young people with disabilities break into finance

The Financial Supervisory Service, the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities and several financial institutions have joined forces to help college students and young job seekers with disabilities enter the finance industry, sharing hiring information and firsthand workplace experiences.

The FSS, the employment agency, financial industry associations and Korea University co-hosted a finance career fair — titled "FIN x CON" — at Korea University on Wednesday.

The event is a follow-up to an MOU on expanding the hiring of people with disabilities in the financial sector, signed in March by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the FSS, the employment agency and financial industry associations. It was organized to give young job seekers with disabilities concrete hiring information and guidance on preparing for careers in finance.

Seven financial institutions took part alongside the FSS: Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank, Hana Securities, Hanwha Investment & Securities, Seoul Guarantee Insurance, Mirae Asset Life Insurance and Korea Development Bank.

Participating companies introduced key job functions, hiring processes and what applicants should prepare. They also fielded questions about day-to-day work responsibilities and how to prepare for each stage of the selection process — details that are often difficult to glean from job postings alone.

In a segment called "Conversation with a Sunbae," employees with disabilities currently working in the financial sector shared their experiences preparing for employment, adjusting to their roles after joining and developing their careers.

FSS Deputy Governor Kwak Beom-jun said the event would give financial institutions a chance to meet talented candidates in person and expand their hiring of people with disabilities, while giving job seekers with disabilities a clearer picture of hiring information and career pathways at individual firms.

Ryu Jeong-jin, the employment agency's director of employment promotion, said connecting strong candidates with the right roles was essential to broadening opportunities for young people with disabilities in the financial sector. "We will support not only job seekers in their preparation, but also financial firms in developing job functions and designing their recruitment processes," he said.

A working group on expanding the hiring of people with disabilities in finance — formed under the MOU — plans to hold a "Finance Disability Employment Idea Challenge" open to financial sector employees, with the aim of identifying new job functions. Standout ideas will be linked to job development consulting and tailored training programs, and the group will also work to improve hiring conditions for people with disabilities at financial firms.