The Best Welfare in the COVID Era: 'Jobs'... Why Did Roh Hyun-song, Mayor of Seoul Gangseo-gu, Focus on Job Creation?

Seoul Gangseo-gu Focuses on Creating Customized Jobs for Seniors, Youth, and Career-Interrupted Women... Senior Convenience Stores and Subway Spaces Support Seniors' Economic Independence... Expanding Youth Internships, New Deal Jobs, and Customized Youth Employment Support Spaces... Discovering Women-Specialized Jobs through Public-Private Collaboration

Noh Hyun-song, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, is visiting the Senior Happiness Workplace and having a conversation with the elderly.

Gimpo Airport Station Hoho Sil Sil Workshop

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is focusing on creating quality jobs to stabilize the lives of residents amid the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 and the unfavorable employment situation.

The district’s job policies are not limited to certain households. The district’s commitment is to help any resident willing to work have opportunities. “Even if you are older,” “even if you lack experience,” or “even if your career was interrupted due to childcare” are not reasons to be excluded.

Support is also being accelerated for skill development of youth and women preparing for employment and entrepreneurship.

Efforts are being made to create spaces for employment and startup support, provide special lectures, counseling, and free education to help people find jobs suited to their aptitudes in various fields and become a strong support system.

◆ From Twilight to Youth... Happy Workplaces for Seniors... Creating various senior jobs such as senior convenience stores, senior workshops, and senior cafes

A convenience store in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Upon entering, an elderly person at the register greets customers with a bright smile. This is Mr. Kim ○○ (64), participating in the senior job project arranged by the Seoul Gangseo Senior Club.

In Gangseo-gu, there are convenience stores, workshops, and cafes where only seniors aged 60 and above can work.

As part of the senior job creation project, the district signed a franchise contract with GS25 and, after on-site training for seniors, opened the GS25 Gayang 8 Complex branch in February this year.

The senior convenience store operates from 6 a.m. to midnight, with 12 senior employees aged 60 or older working in shifts 2 to 3 days a week, about 50 hours per month. Seniors handle overall tasks such as product sales and store management.

In April this year, the district also created exclusive job spaces for seniors by utilizing subway Line 5 station spaces.

By using subway stations with high foot traffic, the district aims to provide seniors with practical jobs suited to market conditions while helping generate income.

The job spaces are located at two subway Line 5 stations: Ujangsan Station and Gimpo Airport Station. To secure these spaces, the district signed lease contracts with Seoul Metro Corporation in December last year after consultations.

At these locations, the Seoul Gangseo Senior Club, the senior job executing agency, employed seniors to establish ‘Hoho Silsil Workshop’ and ‘Cafe Imak.’ On-site training was also conducted for participating seniors before opening.

‘Hoho Silsil Workshop’ opened at Gimpo Airport Station, unit 512-209. It sells Jeju specialty products such as chocolate, rice cakes, and snacks, along with handmade crocheted crafts like scrubbers, pouches, and bags made by seniors.

‘Cafe Imak,’ opened at Ujangsan Station, unit 516-104, sells coffee, cup fruits, sandwiches, and cookies. The cafe also hosts ‘Han Georeum Delivery,’ a subway parcel office where seniors accept parcel shipments.

The senior stores operate from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., staffed by a total of 73 senior employees aged 60 and above.

Seniors work in shifts of 2 to 3 people per store for 4 hours each, covering sales, store management, and parcel acceptance, working 2 to 3 days a week, about 40 hours per month.

Senior jobs are producing synergy effects such as economic independence and improvements in physical and mental health.

◆ The Future of Our Society, Youth Job Support... Full support for youth jobs including youth internship support and Seoul-type New Deal job support

The biggest advantage of the youth video creator (New Deal job) experience is gaining job experience in an area of interest. It was great to gain experience in the related field while preparing for employment and also work. This experience was very helpful when actually getting a job, and I was able to get a job immediately after participating in the New Deal job without any gap.

- Youth video creator (New Deal job) participant ○○○ -

The district is also putting effort into creating quality jobs for youth.

To solve youth unemployment and corporate recruitment difficulties, the district is promoting the ‘Youth Internship Support’ project.

The Youth Internship Support project provides companies with monthly support ranging from 200,000 to 1,100,000 KRW during a 3-month internship period and up to 9 months after conversion to full-time employment.

Additionally, job consulting and basic education are provided to help youth adapt to work.

Through the youth internship project, local youth gain quality jobs, and small and medium enterprises have opportunities to hire excellent talent.

The district also runs the ‘Seoul-type New Deal Job Project’ to serve as a stepping stone for youth employment.

The ‘New Deal Job Project’ provides job opportunities and simultaneously offers chances to develop employment capabilities so that experience gained in district projects can lead to employment in private companies.

The district selects participants such as senior welfare center program coordinators, social economy online platform coordinators, and youth video creators, supporting them in gaining job experience in their fields of interest and providing employment education to help them secure jobs in private companies.

◆ Customized Spaces for Job Seekers... Gangseo Youth Exclusive Space ‘Cheongyeon’ Opens... Book Cafe, Interview Experience Room, etc.... Free Startup Spaces for Youth Entrepreneurs at KC University’s ‘KC Makers’ and ‘Useop Center’

The district also supports youth preparing for employment and entrepreneurship.

In Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu (38 Yangcheon-ro 10-gil), there is the Gangseo youth exclusive space ‘Cheongyeon.’ ‘Cheongyeon’ has been operating since April this year to provide youth with a space for communication and rest, as well as support for employment and entrepreneurship.

‘Cheongyeon’ means ‘Beautiful Connections of Youth.’ It expresses the hope that youth will freely exchange and communicate in the newly prepared space and fully realize their potential and possibilities.

‘Cheongyeon’ includes ▲book cafe + community facilities ▲lecture rooms ▲meeting rooms ▲AI & VR interview experience rooms.

The book cafe is furnished with round tables and chairs, serving as a space for meetings and communication. It will be actively used as a space for youth gatherings and communities to activate youth networks.

To assist youth in preparing for employment, AI (Artificial Intelligence) & VR (Virtual Reality) interview experience rooms are also provided. This space uses smart technologies such as AI and VR to offer vivid virtual interview experiences, helping job-seeking youth improve their interview adaptability.

Additionally, the district plans to provide customized education for youth preparing for social advancement and labor counseling for early-stage entrepreneurs at ‘Cheongyeon.’

The space is available to youth aged 19 to 39 residing in Gangseo-gu for various reasons such as work or study.

Operating hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. However, operating hours may change depending on the COVID-19 situation.

The book cafe is currently available, and employment education and AI & VR interview experience rooms will be fully operated after a pilot operation in the first half of the year.

The district also operates the ‘Gangseo-gu Job Cafe’ for youth preparing for employment.

It offers one-on-one customized employment counseling by experts, including resume and cover letter editing. It also provides employment lectures, counseling, and study room rentals, serving as a reliable employment mentor for youth.

The Job Cafe is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., at Gomdallae Cultural Welfare Center. However, it may switch to non-face-to-face programs depending on the COVID-19 situation.

There are also free startup spaces for youth entrepreneurs to ensure a smooth early stage of entrepreneurship.

These include ‘KC Makers’ at KC University’s Creative Hall and the ‘Useop Center’ at Deungchon Middle School’s Deungmaru Hall.

The district supports youth entrepreneurship by creating customized startup support spaces and providing support from space provision to startup guidance and market development.

Last year, five teams selected in the startup competition were provided with space and support for startup activities. This year, the district plans to nurture various youth startup companies through startup spaces and competition support.

Furthermore, the district offers free vocational training that can be immediately applied in the workplace to strengthen employment capabilities.

Starting in May, training courses will be held for domestic and international open market experts and ICT-based information system security engineers to cultivate professionals with expertise and competitiveness in various fields.

◆ Discovering Women-Specific Jobs through Public-Private Collaboration... Specialized job discovery and customized vocational education for women with career interruptions

Efforts are also busy to help women return to society after career interruptions due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

The district conducts certification acquisition and customized employment and startup education in collaboration with local universities and women’s workforce development centers for women with career interruptions.

This aims to help women who have been away from the workplace for a long time acquire skills that can be immediately applied in the workplace and strengthen their employment capabilities.

Various promising job training courses have been prepared, including caregiving and ward assistant, professional organizer, coffee barista, silver cognition instructor, coding convergence thinking instructor, and reading instructor.

Not only education is provided, but reemployment is also supported through employment connections using local infrastructure.

In 2020, 98 people participated in women-specific job courses, and among them, 53 successfully found employment.

Mayor Noh Hyun-song of Gangseo-gu said, “Everyone is going through a difficult time due to COVID-19, and the priority task these days is stabilizing residents’ lives. Even in the COVID era, we believe ‘jobs are the best welfare’ and are focusing on creating quality jobs and strengthening employment capabilities. Jobs are the foundation for life stability and happiness. We will continue to do our best to create customized jobs for all sectors and provide meticulous support.”

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