Decreasing job opportunity for Korean college graduates is one of pressing challenges for both the local government and graduates. (image: Korean College, Flickr, by Showbizsuperstar (Jeff))
SEOUL, South Korea, July 24 (Korea Bizwire) – The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to select and promote more than a 100 promising occupations that need to, and can be promoted in Korea. The ministry briefed the cabinet of their plan called the ‘Development and Promotion of New Occupations Plan’ on July 23.
The plan to develop new occupations is at President Park Geun-hye’s directions to create new job opportunities by introducing professions only available in industrialized countries and not yet in Korea. The project is to follow three steps: analyze and compare foreign occupations, formulate ways to develop and promote new occupations, and link new occupations with creation of job opportunities.
For the first step the Labor Ministry and the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS) have conducted research since April to compare and analyze occupations in Korea and in industrialized countries. After analyzing jobs in the U.S., Japan, the UK, Germany, Australia, and other countries, the study has identified 650 occupations not yet available in Korea and among these jobs about 100 occupations have been selected for further review.
The ministry will, after consulting with other government agencies, prepare an action plan to develop and promote the selected occupations during the second half of this year. The tentatively named ‘Development and Promotion of Future Prospective Occupation Team’ will be established with the Vice Minister of Employment and Labor as chair to evaluate the need for, and the feasibility of introducing selected foreign occupations.
Furthermore, further measures such as revising legislation, creating new national certifications, and establishing training courses will be undertaken to facilitate the successful introduction and promotion of these jobs in Korea for foreign occupations eventually selected.
