Starting this year, a young person who finds a job outside the Seoul metropolitan area and stays employed for at least six months can receive the "Youth Job Leap Incentive" of up to 7.2 million won over two years.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said on the 25th that it will implement the 2026 Youth Job Leap Incentive program, which includes these details, starting on the 26th. The Youth Job Leap Incentive is a system designed to encourage young people to stay with their jobs longer and ease corporations' burden of hiring young workers. It is operated in two parts: an incentive that supports young workers' long-term tenure and a grant that supports corporations' hiring of young people.
The ministry expanded support for young people employed outside the metropolitan area. If a young person employed by corporations outside the metropolitan area remains on the job for at least six months, a tenure incentive will be paid over two years. The support amounts are, by region, up to 4.8 million won in general areas, 6 million won in preferred areas, and 7.2 million won in special areas. The previous maximum support amount was 4.8 million won. By contrast, no separate tenure incentive is paid to young people employed in the metropolitan area.
Support for corporations is similar in the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. In both regions, priority-supported corporations with at least five employees can receive a grant if they newly hire a young person and maintain the employment for at least six months. Corporations receive up to 7.2 million won per young employee over one year.
The ministry said it plans to use this overhaul to ease the concentration of young people in the metropolitan area and encourage employment and long-term tenure in the provinces.