Employment Assistance

[Anchor Lead]

The government will provide young job seekers with subsidies to assist their job hunting activities. To prevent any misuse, the monthly grant will be given in the form of card points and not cash, and the money also can't be used at entertainment establishments.

[Pkg]

​This job center is filled with young job seekers. Last year, it took an average of 10.7 months for Korean youths to land their first jobs after graduation. While looking for jobs, they face financial difficulties.

[Soundbite] Hwang Byeong-hun(Job Seeker) : 'I did part-time work during college but now I need to focus on studies so financially, it's difficult."

For the first time, the government will introduce an aid program to assist young job seekers. Those who graduated from high school or college or have dropped out of school within the last two years are eligible to apply for a 500-thousand won monthly grant for up to six months. The employment aid is expected to be provided to 80-thousand recipients in 2019. Only those from households with monthly incomes below 120 percent of the nationwide median can apply for the program. The aid will not go to high-income families. Successful applicants will receive a card containing points equivalent to 500-thousand won which can't be used for entertainment purposes or buying costly items. Also, the points can't be withdrawn as cash.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-bok(Ministry of Employment and Labor) : "The aid program is expected to help youths think more about their aptitude and abilities in their job search. This way, they will find the right job and the turnover rate can be reduced."

But concerns remain about the difficulty of verifying whether the grant was used in line with the intended purpose.