The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 27th it will supply more than 100,000 senior jobs (senior public jobs) this year. That is the largest number on record.
The target fields are: ▲ senior public interest activity projects (support for school meals and school zones, etc.) ▲ senior capacity utilization projects (work at facilities and institutions using career experience, etc.) ▲ community project groups (food manufacturing, parcel delivery, etc.) ▲ employment support (referrals to private-sector jobs), among others. The city plans to supply a total of about 102,000.
First, it will provide 73,785 jobs in senior public interest activity projects in which low-income seniors engage in activities that boost the public interest in their communities. That is 4,585 more than a year earlier. In addition, jobs in senior capacity utilization projects, community project groups and employment support—activities that contribute to local communities by leveraging the skilled techniques, expertise and experience of the new senior generation—will total 28,081, up 2,080 from a year earlier.
The city plans to create about 5,000 new senior-appropriate job types, about 600 more than last year. Thirty-six job types are eligible, including neighborhoodwide elementary after-school care support, coffee grounds upcycling, and an elevator safety team. The goal is to break the stereotype that public jobs involve only simple labor and to provide differentiated social services by using seniors' skilled techniques, expertise and experience.
Citizens age 60 and older who wish to participate in Seoul's senior jobs can inquire with the senior jobs department in each district office or with senior job implementing agencies such as senior clubs and senior welfare centers.
In addition, the city will fully push ahead with the "Senior Employment Academy." The Senior Employment Academy consists of a two-step process of customized job counseling, exploration and job matching that takes into account seniors' career levels. It is a specialized package of the Seoul Senior Jobs Support Center, a hub for discovering and connecting seniors to private-sector jobs that opened in January last year.
To create an environment in which seniors can settle into jobs stably and maintain employment, the city will provide hiring support funds to corporations that keep employees on for a certain period. The Seoul Senior Jobs Support Center is open to any citizen age 60 and older seeking work.
Yoon Jong-jang, head of Seoul's Welfare Bureau, said, "Senior jobs are a core policy that raises quality of life not only by stabilizing income but also by maintaining health and performing social roles," adding, "We will continue to discover and supply jobs that meet seniors' diverse needs and make use of their accumulated experience and capabilities to support a healthy old age."