Seoul Jung-gu Creates Jobs for Career-Interrupted Middle-Aged Adults

Starting this month, pilot operation of the regional win-win job platform for mid-career break seniors... 'Junggu Smart Care' app established to address local job needs such as child and youth care support, daily living assistance for seniors and disabled, and housing environment improvement with local residents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) has been operating a pilot project for a local win-win job platform targeting 31 career-interrupted middle-aged individuals starting this month.

This project, conducted in collaboration with the Jung-gu Social Economy Regional Ecosystem Creation Project Group, is part of a city-district upward and cooperative job creation initiative that covers everything from education to employment for the middle-aged.

From April to June, the district identified job demands in three areas: care support for children and adolescents, daily life support for the elderly and disabled, and residential environment improvement. Social service vocational training was provided to job participants, including career-interrupted middle-aged individuals.

Those who completed the vocational training held a non-face-to-face online orientation on August 31 and were officially deployed to the job project starting September 1.

In particular, some of them work at five All Children Care Centers in Jung-gu through a business agreement between the Jung-gu Social Economy Regional Ecosystem Creation Project Group and the Jung-gu Facilities Management Corporation Social Service Project Group. They are responsible for community care and COVID-19 quarantine tasks such as supervising children after school, checking body temperatures, and managing visitor logs, playing an essential role where meticulous care is required.

Some secured jobs supporting the daily lives of elderly and disabled individuals who mostly have to stay at home due to COVID-19, including checking on their well-being and providing mobility assistance.

Additionally, career-interrupted middle-aged individuals are employed in various fields suited to their aptitudes, such as simple home repairs and organizing in the residential environment improvement sector, online app operation, business promotion, and as instructors for local community programs, challenging themselves in their second careers.

The term "middle-aged" refers to those who strive to improve themselves and live happily and youthfully, and they can no longer be said to have retired from social activities. In the recent trend of pronounced aging, Jung-gu’s efforts help residents preparing for their second act in life maintain healthier and happier lives. This not only improves the quality of life for the middle-aged but also creates jobs.

Although this project will end in December this year as a pilot, the district will continue the connection by building the local win-win job platform application called "Jung-gu Smart Care."

Through the job platform, the district plans to establish a virtuous cycle in the local economy where not only the middle-aged but also jobs needed in the community can be filled by local residents. It will also continuously support education for training customized professional personnel reflecting local demand.

Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "We will operate a solid and customized local win-win job platform to continuously create various jobs that help local residents maintain healthy lives and contribute to the community."

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