Gov't vows efforts to address job challenges for vulnerable groups

South Korea's finance ministry pledged on Wednesday to intensify its efforts to tackle employment issues faced by disadvantaged groups, as the country grapples with a stagnant job market for young people and other vulnerable sectors. In an interagency task force meeting, the ministry unveiled plans to address these challenges during a period when the nation added 184,000 jobs in August, the biggest increase in five months.

This marked the first time in five months that job growth reached the high 100,000 mark following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict. However, the ministry highlighted that difficulties persist for certain groups and industries, such as young individuals, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and fisheries.

According to the finance ministry, the employment rate for individuals aged 15 to 29 stood at 44.1 percent in August, a 1 percentage point decrease from the previous year, marking the 28th consecutive month of decline. The ministry expressed concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East could potentially impact job creation in the future, emphasizing the necessity to implement measures to sustain the upward trajectory in the job market.

To achieve this, the finance ministry intends to thoroughly prepare job creation projects outlined in the 2027 budget proposal, in addition to fostering more public-sector job opportunities through collaborative efforts among various government agencies.