[How Is Your Dream?] 'Job-Seeking Allowance of 3 Million Won' Attracted Crowds from the Start of the New Year

On-site Look at 'Gukmin Employment Support System' Applications...
Applicants Flock Despite COVID-19 and Severe Cold
Complaints Arise Over Required Documents and Offline Submission Process

On the 4th, citizens were waiting to receive consultations related to the National Employment Support System at the Seoul Southern Employment Center of the Ministry of Employment and Labor located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] "How am I supposed to get my son’s signature who lives in the provinces?" "I came all the way here because there’s no place to work... What more do you want from a homeless person?"

On the morning of Monday, January 4th, the first Monday of the new year, around 10 a.m., on the 2nd floor of the Seoul Southern Employment Welfare Center located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, the offline application window for the 'National Employment Support System,' which provides 3 million won in job-seeking allowance to low-income job seekers, opened. Despite the weather dropping to minus 7 degrees Celsius amid the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants gathered early at the window. Although it was a new system being implemented for the first time this year, interest on site was high. There were also many complaints about unfamiliar required documents and the online application process.

That day, the center deployed a total of 45 dedicated staff members for the National Employment Support System, about 5 of whom were in charge of initial counseling and eligibility screening. About ten people holding numbered tickets waited silently for their turn, wearing masks and thick parkas. In the calm atmosphere, someone suddenly raised their voice from one side. It was Mr. Kim, who introduced himself as a 'Seoul Station homeless person.'

Mr. Kim argued with the staff, saying, "What kind of job application are you asking a homeless person to do?" To participate in the National Employment Support System, one must apply for job seeking on the Worknet website operated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. You must set up a job activity plan and diligently carry out job counseling and job seeking activities to receive the job-seeking allowance. While heading down to the first-floor window to apply, Mr. Kim confided to the reporter, "Honestly, homeless people come here to get the allowance for six months, who would actually work?" He frowned, saying, "I don’t have any proper certificates or work history," and "Since no one would write for me, I ended up coming here."

After applying for the job, applicants must fill out five pages of employment support application forms filled with dense text. The application form has blank spaces where signatures of all household members registered in the resident registration must be obtained. This is a procedure for consenting to the provision of personal information such as income and assets. Most offline applicants found this part the most cumbersome. Baek, a person in their 20s who worked as a department store clerk last year, said, "I have to come back after getting my father’s signature," holding the application form as they left the center. There were also people who questioned the staff about how to get their son’s signature, who is currently working in the provinces. A center official said, "When applying online, consent can be easily obtained through mobile phone authentication." However, for middle-aged and older people who do not have a PC or are not familiar with the internet, this also tends to feel like a major obstacle.

Lee, in their late 20s, who participated in the Employment Success Package program last year, said, "I came in person because I couldn’t accurately check whether I met the income and asset requirements online," adding, "The phone consultation was always disconnected due to high call volume." He pointed out, "Since this is a newly started system, both the staff and applicants seem to be struggling."

Mr. Kang, in his 50s, said he participated in the self-support work program operated by Seoul City until last year. He lamented, "I heard the number of participants in this year’s program has been reduced due to COVID-19. Even the monthly income of 800,000 won might be cut off." In principle, to receive the job-seeking allowance, one must have worked at least 100 days (800 hours) in the past two years, but Mr. Kang only had 75 days, so he came for counseling.

Ms. Koo, in her 60s, who came to apply for the National Employment Support System with her husband, had not worked for seven years due to poor health. When asked if she could find a job this year, her answer mixed hope and sighs. "Many restaurants have closed due to COVID-19, so it won’t be easy to find a job. Fortunately, my health has improved a bit, so I have gained some confidence to try job-seeking activities."

That day, 150 citizens visited the Southern Employment Center for counseling on the National Employment Support System, and 58 people submitted applications. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including online applications started on December 28 last year, a total of about 90,000 people applied.

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