Government to Prepare Additional Youth Employment Support Measures... Weekly Meetings to Be Held

Joint Job Task Force of Relevant Ministries

Lee Hyungil, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, is giving opening remarks at the 2nd Job Task Force (TF) held on the 17th at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Finance and Economy

The government is preparing additional support measures to help restore youth employment. For the time being, job task force meetings will be held every week to discuss support measures for youth employment, and new measures will be announced as needed after review by the economic ministers’ meeting.

The government explained this position at a joint job task force (TF) meeting of relevant ministries, presided over by Lee Hyungil, First Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, and Kwon Changjun, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labor, at the Government Complex Seoul on the same day. The government diagnosed that young people are facing triple challenges in the job market: changes in population and industrial structure, the spread of open recruitment practices for experienced workers, and the impact of the ongoing Middle East war.

Currently, youth New Deal policies are being promoted mainly through initiatives like the K-New Deal Academy and the Delinquency Management Team. In addition, the government plans to devise new programs to further support youth employment.

If the prolonged Middle East conflict further worsens business conditions, relevant ministries will monitor trends and mobilize every available policy tool to respond, especially in major industries with high employment shares such as manufacturing, construction, and agriculture/forestry/fisheries.

Communication with industrial sites and employment-related incentives will also be strengthened. The government will support workers who need to transition to new roles in response to changing labor demands caused by industrial shifts such as artificial intelligence transformation (AX) and green transition (GX).

In addition, the government will soon announce the “Basic Employment Security Plan for Industrial Transformation,” which will include measures to strengthen workers’ transition capabilities, support for job changes and career transitions, and the establishment of an employment safety net and policy infrastructure.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of employed persons decreased by 40,000 in May compared to the same period a year earlier, marking a decline for the first time in 17 months since December 2024.

In particular, employment in manufacturing fell by 140,000 and in construction by 43,000. By age group, the youth employment rate dropped from 46.2% to 43.8%, while the youth unemployment rate increased from 6.6% to 7.2%, indicating a worsening situation for young job seekers.

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