The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 1st that it will provide a record 1,152,000 senior jobs this year. That is up 54,000 (4.9%) from 1,098,000 last year.
The senior jobs support program has been in place since 2004 to help older adults lead active and productive later years through work and social activities. This year's program will be funded with a total budget of 5 trillion won, including 2.4 trillion won in national funds and 2.6 trillion won in local funds.
Senior jobs consist of public interest activity programs, capability utilization programs, and community project groups. The average monthly pay is 290,000 won for public interest activity programs and 761,000 won for capability utilization programs. Among the capability utilization types, 500 people in the "kindergarten senior caregivers" track, who complete 30 hours of specialized childcare training, receive a monthly salary of 900,000 won.
This year, in particular, the senior capability utilization program (197,000 positions) saw the largest expansion. The government said it focused on increasing jobs that leverage the experience and expertise of the first baby boom generation (born 1955–1963), whose health, income, and education levels are relatively high. Accordingly, new job types have been created, including integrated care assistants, administrators for the Food Bank "Just Dream," and safe-return-home assistants.
Since late last year, the ministry has been recruiting participants for 970,000 jobs—including public interest activities, capability utilization, and community project groups—targeting seniors aged 65 and older nationwide (60 and older in some areas), and has selected 880,000 so far (about 91%). Those selected will complete safety, ethics, and job training in January, and their work field and location will be decided based on their residence, work history, and personal preferences. Of the total 1,152,000 jobs, 246,000 employment and startup-type positions will be recruited year-round.
Im Eul-gi, senior policy director at the ministry, said, "In the coming super-aged era and AI era, the role of older adults is actually growing significantly," and added, "Senior jobs will now move beyond simply supplementing income to make a leap forward into customized jobs, value-creating jobs, and skilled jobs where the accumulated experience and life careers of the new senior generation are fully utilized."