Youth employment weakness persists as government develops cooperation plan for “Youth Playground”

South Korea’s government plans to tighten cooperation between ministries as weak employment among young people and other vulnerable groups continues. Officials discussed how to ensure the smooth implementation of new job programs, including the “Youth Playground,” in next year’s budget.

A joint government task force met at the Seoul Government Complex on the 9th. The meeting was chaired by Kang Ki-ryong, assistant minister at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Lim Young-mi, head of employment policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Officials reviewed August employment trends, next year’s employment-program budget and the implementation of direct job-creation programs. August employment increased by 184,000 people from a year earlier, extending the rise for a third straight month. Services added 345,000 jobs, up from a 295,000 increase in July.

Manufacturing employment fell by 38,000 and construction employment by 32,000, although both declines narrowed from the previous month. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries employment dropped by 109,000, with the decline widening. The youth employment rate fell by 1 percentage point from a year earlier, its 28th consecutive monthly decline, although the fall was smaller than July’s 1.6 percentage-point decrease.