The government is pushing to expand and make permanent a job-seeking promotion allowance for "resting youth" who do not even engage in job hunting, according to reports on the 6th. "Resting youth" had not been eligible for support, but this year alone, 30,000 people became able to receive the allowance through a supplementary budget. Starting next year, the government plans to relax the requirements, broaden eligibility, and run it as a regular budget program.
According to ChosunBiz reporting, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) is discussing with the Ministry of Planning and Budget the expansion and institutionalization of the job-seeking allowance for "resting youth" while coordinating next year's budget for the National Employment Support Program.
The National Employment Support Program provides job placement assistance and living expenses to low-income job seekers. Through it, a monthly job-seeking allowance of 600,000 won is paid for six months on the condition of job search activities, but to receive support, applicants must meet the condition of having work experience within the past two years. "Resting youth" could not receive support because they could not meet this condition.
The number of "resting youth" in their 20s and 30s was 648,000 in May, up 240,000 from 10 years ago. If time passes without getting a job in one's 20s or 30s, it is common to miss out on vocational training, making it harder to find employment. Income and assets also fall sharply compared with others.
Accordingly, this year the government is paying the job-seeking allowance through the "youth-focused track (K-YouthGuarantee)" using 78.6 billion won from the supplementary budget for "resting youth." Thirty thousand people age 34 or younger who do not meet conditions such as having work experience within the past two years are eligible.
From next year, the government plans to remove the work experience requirement from the "youth special case (105,000 this year)" selection type for the job-seeking allowance to expand eligibility. The plan is to run, every year in the main budget, the program that gives the job-seeking allowance to "resting youth."
However, to ensure the allowance leads to actual job search, the government plans to link payment to participation in programs such as career exploration (occupational psychological tests), competency development (certifications, training, work experience), and job search skills (resumes, interviews).
A government official said, "The scale of next year's job-seeking allowance support for 'resting youth' is still under discussion with the Ministry of Planning and Budget."