Gov’t expects job growth in technology, senior services

The government expects that 84,000 high-quality jobs will be created by the end of the year, in areas of advanced technologies such as autonomous vehicles and drones and the service sector catering to senior citizens.

The Ministry of Employment released this year’s goals in creating jobs through fostering new industries, expanding welfare services and further strengthening support for those who want to start businesses.

The government expects 3,700 jobs to be created in seven new areas in the land and transportation sector that includes autonomous vehicles, drones and smart cities. Another 4,400 jobs are expected to be created in the energy sector, in areas like renewable energy, and 2,800 in Information and Communication Technology and the Research & Development sector.

Thanks to the aging population, the government expects 40,900 new jobs in the welfare business, like nursing for the elderly.

The government also expects 1,200 jobs to be created from companies with promising technologies and 3,200 of them in agriculture and food start-ups.

More than 900 jobs are expected to be created for women whose careers have been cut short because of marriage or raising a family, but seeking new opportunities.

Also 6,500 jobs are expected to be made on knowledge-based technologies.

In other areas, the government estimated that 4,200 jobs will be created when stimulating regional economies as well as night markets and traditional markets.

Recently, the Korean economy has been undergoing a strong recovery with various economic indicators pointing upward including exports, consumer confidence and even the stock market that has been on a bullish rally and nearing new records.

However, despite the improving sentiment, the job market hasn’t been rosy. In fact the number of people working in manufacturing, which hires the largest number of people, has fallen this year.

In January, the manufacturing industry lost 160,000 jobs, followed by 92,000 in February and 83,000 in March. The jobless rate for those aged between 15 and 29 remains in the double-digits at 11.3 percent.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]