'Digital and Low-Carbon Transition' Employment Shock Measures to Be Announced in July

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk delivering a greeting at the 4th Employment Policy Council and Employment Crisis Response Team meeting held at the Press Center on the 25th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to announce measures in July to mitigate employment shocks that may arise from the industrial structure transition focused on digital and low-carbon sectors.

On the 25th, Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk stated in his opening remarks at the 4th Employment Policy Council, "As the digital and low-carbon transition accelerates due to COVID-19, the industrial structure and labor market will be fundamentally reorganized."

Minister An expressed concern, saying, "Along with the growth of new industries such as electric vehicles and system semiconductors, there is a possibility that job shocks in traditional industries like internal combustion engine vehicles, coal power generation, and offline service sectors will intensify."

He emphasized, "We will establish a fair labor transition support system in response to the industrial structure transition," and added, "We will also prepare a 'Fair Labor Transition Support Plan' at the inter-ministerial level to support workers in industries adversely affected during the industrial structure transition." The government plans to release this plan by July.

Minister An cited a McKinsey report predicting a sharp decline in face-to-face service jobs and an increase in high-paying jobs in fields such as healthcare and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating, "South Korea cannot be an exception to this major job transformation trend."

He stressed, "We must create an environment where anyone can successfully transition to new jobs with stable livelihoods and new vocational skills, and actively support companies to create good jobs suitable for the new era."

He continued, "Through the expansion of vocational training, we will support the growth of promising industries such as IT (Information Technology) and low-carbon industries," and added, "To alleviate manpower shortages in small and venture companies due to the surge in demand for developers, we will prepare a joint plan with related ministries to foster talent in the software sector."

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