Seoul to host mid-career job fair Oct. 20

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the Seoul Mid-Career Job Fair 2026 on Oct. 20 at Exhibition Hall 1 of the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu. The fair will bring together on-site interviews with 50 companies and organizations, hands-on job experience sessions and a newly introduced middle-aged-friendly industry hall — all aimed at expanding employment opportunities and helping mid-career workers explore new fields.

Now in its fourth year, the fair goes beyond a standard recruitment event, offering middle-aged job seekers a chance to directly experience changing industries and map out their next career move. Alongside on-site interviews and hiring consultations, visitors can try out new job roles and access information on education, finance, health and other services relevant to their work and daily lives.

Last year's edition was held July 1–2 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, drawing 120 companies and about 4,500 job seekers.

The Seoul50Plus Foundation, a Seoul Metropolitan Government-affiliated body, organizes the event. It provides comprehensive support for career planning, vocational training, and employment and entrepreneurship for residents aged 40 to 64. The foundation operates mid-career employment academies across five campuses — western, central, southern, northern and eastern Seoul — to help workers transition to new careers or return to the workforce.

The fair is organized into six halls: a jobs hall, a career-planning hall, a middle-aged-friendly industry hall, a side-events hall, a policy promotion hall and a hall spotlighting companies with strong mid-career hiring records.

The jobs hall will feature 50 companies and organizations conducting hiring consultations and on-site interviews for middle-aged job seekers. Positions range from field-based roles in education, caregiving, logistics and services to jobs that draw on mid-career expertise — including data review at financial institutions, smartphone and AI instruction, interior operations platform management, and ship design, supervision and consulting.

In the career-planning hall, specialist career-transition consultants will hold one-on-one sessions based on each visitor's work history and target role. They will help with writing and refining job applications and recommend suitable companies and positions among the fair's participating employers.

The newly added middle-aged-friendly industry hall will feature 15 companies and organizations, including Shinhan Bank, Saramin, Daesang Welllife, Daekyo New-if and Roche Korea. Visitors can consult on and experience services covering tailored financial and pension advice, employment education and recruitment services, health and caregiving, and leisure and culture.

The hall spotlighting companies with strong mid-career hiring records will introduce 12 companies and organizations that have maintained a consistent track record of hiring middle-aged workers through joint initiatives with the foundation, including job fairs and mid-career talent support projects. Hyundai Green Food, Tada, McDonald's Korea and KT Corp CS are among the participants, sharing their mid-career hiring practices and offering consultations.

The fair is free and open to all Seoul residents aged 40 to 64. Those wishing to attend can pre-register on the Iljari Mongttang website by 10 a.m. on Oct. 19. Walk-in registration will also be available on the day. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 20.

Kang Myeong, president of the Seoul50Plus Foundation, said he hoped the event would give middle-aged workers "a chance to rediscover their careers and capabilities, and take on new work and new possibilities."