Busan City said on Jan. 12 that it will invest 2 billion won in this year's jobs program for people in their 50s and early 60s. That is double last year's amount, and the city plans to create a total of 600 jobs.
The jobs program targets people ages 50 to 64. It aims to identify jobs in areas that need social support by using their experience and expertise, while providing stable employment for them.
This year's program consists of: ▲ "social jobs," focused on realizing social value ▲ "market-type jobs," supporting startups by people in their 50s and early 60s ▲ "employment placement-type jobs," helping job searches at private companies and elsewhere. The implementing agencies have been expanded this year from existing districts and counties and nonprofit corporations and groups to include local government-funded and grant-funded institutions and universities.
The city will identify projects for the program through an open call through Jan. 23 and finalize the list in Feb. It will then recruit participants by project from Feb. to Mar. Any unemployed Busan resident ages 50 to 64 can apply. Participants will receive a monthly stipend of 792,750 won (based on 60 hours of work a month, before deductions, with social insurance enrollment).
Jeong Tae-gi, director of the Busan City Department of Social Welfare, said, "People in their 50s and early 60s are a valuable human resource with long experience and wisdom," and added, "As single-person households increase and care needs expand, we will provide new opportunities for the second half of life for people in their 50s and early 60s and continue to expand a virtuous cycle that strengthens care and safety in the local community."