Only 708 New Hires in Public Enterprises in the First Half of the Year... "Because of COVID-19"

Cumulative New Hires in Public Institutions for Q1 and Q2 Total 9,037
New Hiring Schedules Delayed and Demand Reduced Due to COVID-19 Impact
Deputy Prime Minister Hong: "25,600 Hires This Year"... Feasibility in Question
Youth, Disabled, and Vulnerable Groups Hit Hard... Only Short-Term Jobs Increasing

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of new hires at public institutions in the first half of this year fell short of 10,000. New hires at public enterprises, often called "the divine workplace," amounted to only about 700. Job seekers preparing for public service exams are spending anxious days, worried that the second half's public recruitment might also be postponed.

According to the public institution management information disclosure system "Alio" on the 7th, the number of new regular employees hired by public institutions in the first half of this year (cumulative for the second quarter) was 9,037. By type of public institution, new hires were 708 at public enterprises, 2,072 at quasi-governmental agencies, and 6,258 at other public institutions. In January, Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, pledged to expand employment opportunities at public institutions by hiring 25,600 new employees, an increase of more than 2,000 from last year. However, if this trend continues, it is uncertain whether this goal can be achieved. Public institutions have postponed hiring schedules or delayed new project launches to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections, resulting in decreased hiring demand.

Looking at the scale of new hires at public enterprises, which rank high in employment preference, Incheon International Airport Corporation hired 1 person, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) 180, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) 166, Korea Airports Corporation 26, and Korea Expressway Corporation 1. Hiring officials at public enterprises explained that the hiring process is currently underway and thus not reflected in the second quarter statistics, and they plan to achieve the targeted number of new hires within this year. A KEPCO official stated, "Although the job postings were slightly delayed due to COVID-19, regular employee onboarding is scheduled for this month." An Incheon International Airport Corporation official said, "We are currently conducting the hiring process for 70 general regular employees," adding, "There has been no change to the hiring plan set as a goal for this year."

However, it has been revealed that many institutions failed to meet the contents outlined in their '2020 Public Institution Hiring Plans' announced earlier this year. Due to the impact of COVID-19, vulnerable labor groups such as youth and people with disabilities have suffered significant setbacks. The Korea Employment Information Service planned to hire a total of 60 experiential youth interns in two rounds in February and July this year, but no interns were hired by the end of the first half. KORAIL also announced plans to hire a total of 1,000 experiential interns in both the first and second halves of the year, but so far, no hires have been made. KORAIL hired 936 interns in 2018 and 669 last year. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) hired 62 regular employees this year, but none were employees with disabilities. KHNP has hired 10 to 20 employees with disabilities annually over the past five years.

Job seekers preparing for public institution exams are experiencing anxious and worrisome days due to delays in employment caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Park (28), a public service exam candidate, said, "The hiring in the first half was postponed because of COVID-19, and I am worried that the same situation might repeat in the second half." He added, "Everyone is hoping that no additional COVID-19 cases will occur in the regions where the headquarters of the public enterprises they are applying to are located."

While the number of preferred jobs for job seekers is decreasing, the government is increasing low-wage, short-term jobs created through financial investment. The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to create 110,000 jobs by the end of the year through the Youth Digital Job Project and Youth Work Experience Support Project, requiring a budget of about 800 billion won. Separately, the government, in cooperation with related ministries, is investing over 970 billion won to create 115,000 public jobs in the non-face-to-face and digital sectors. The maximum duration of these jobs is four months, and the wages are at the minimum wage level.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.