Stalemate in Labor-Management-Government Talks: Seeking Answers from the Public

On August 8, amidst the sweltering heat that left even urban streets deserted, four citizens representing different generations sat down with Kim Ji-hyung, Chair of the Economic and Social Labor Commission, to discuss "Changes in Population Structure and Jobs." Nearby, citizens with diverse perspectives paired up for conversations, engaging in "Live Job Talks" where they momentarily glimpsed each other's worlds.

Traditionally, the Economic and Social Labor Commission's main role has been to mediate and compromise between labor, management, and government.

Chair Kim stated that the direct dialogue with citizens was intended to stimulate discussions among labor, management, and government, which had reached an impasse due to sharp differences and conflicts.

The discussion, led by Chair Kim and lasting about 90 minutes, included a young job seeker in their 20s, a woman in her 40s who had taken a career break, a woman in her 50s who had retired early, and a man in his mid-60s.

They shared their experiences and opinions on job policies.

Kim Jong-jin, 25, who flew in from Busan for the discussion, currently works as a six-month contract intern at a public enterprise.

When it was his turn to speak, he asked Chair Kim, "What do you think is the reason for the difficulty in youth employment?"

Chair Kim cited "job shortage, gap, and fairness issues in recruitment."

Kim Jong-jin emphasized that the gap is the most critical issue, stating, "Young people prefer large corporations due to wages, working conditions, and educational environments, but very few young people can actually get hired by large corporations."

He stressed the need for policies to encourage young people to consider small and medium-sized enterprises.

He also requested that more attention be given to the voices of non-metropolitan youth and high school graduates.

Kim Jong-jin pointed out that the problem is not just unfair recruitment procedures but the reality that young people struggle to access job opportunities in the first place.

Jeon Hyo-eun, a 40-year-old working mom with two daughters aged four and seven, currently works at an NGO on social welfare projects after experiencing a career break following childbirth.

She now works full-time, eight hours a day, balancing work and childcare.

Jeon mentioned that she had to pay 13,000 won per hour for childcare to attend the discussion.

She revealed that her own hourly wage is 17,000 won.

Jeon expressed a critical view of the increasing trend of parental leave, stating that it can lead to longer periods of social isolation, making it harder to return to work.

She emphasized that flexible working arrangements, such as six-hour workdays and telecommuting, need to be expanded.

Jeon highlighted a company practice where if an employee takes parental leave, two employees working six hours a day can be hired to replace them, and additional allowances can be provided to team members whose workload increases.

A solution was suggested where 50-something women could fill the gaps left by 30- and 40-something working moms on parental leave, allowing for intergenerational win-win possibilities.

Bae Sung-ja, in her 50s, who had worked at an advertising agency for 26 years, is currently preparing to transition to a facilitator role supporting and helping members' participation and communication.

After experiencing a career break due to childcare, she returned to work at an advertising agency, initially working four days a week with half the annual salary.

A year later, when the employee on parental leave resigned, she could continue working.

Bae suggested, "Let's provide institutional support for 50-something women to work as substitute personnel for one year when 30- and 40-something women take parental leave."

The possibility of intergenerational win-win, where the rich experience of 'senior interns' provides substantial help to younger generations, as seen in the movie 'Intern,' is slowly becoming a reality.

Song Jun-mok, 66, has worked in several jobs and currently works at a small and medium-sized enterprise as an intern staff member supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the 50+ Foundation.

After working for a long time at a foreign IT company, he was forced into early retirement at the age of 50 due to the IT bubble.

Despite having multiple certifications, he struggled to find a job, applying to over 50 places but being rejected each time.

Song emphasized that society needs to utilize the abilities and experiences of older people more actively.

He stated, "It's not about taking away jobs from young people but providing various supports for society to utilize the experiences of older workers."

Regarding the extension of retirement age, which was considered a highly contentious issue across generations, the discussion revealed a relatively small temperature difference between generations.

Bae Sung-ja shared a story about a friend working at Samsung Electronics who decided to leave after considering voluntary retirement, as extending the retirement age would allow him to work longer.

However, she noted that this mainly benefits large corporations and the public sector, having little relevance to small and medium-sized enterprise workers who rarely work until retirement age.

Kim Jong-jin in his 20s also stated, "Extending the retirement age is a distant issue for me, and it doesn't resonate much when my immediate concern is getting a job."

He suggested eliminating the concept of retirement age altogether, stating, "The meaning of extending retirement age is limited when people want to continue working and living even into their 70s and 80s."

Chair Kim Ji-hyung did not simply act as a moderator; he actively participated by asking questions, listening to citizens' stories, and sometimes sharing his concerns candidly.

He facilitated participation and communication among people with different perspectives and played the role of a facilitator promoting quiet changes near the citizens.