Gyeongbuk Province to Provide Annual 1 Million KRW Points to 1,270 Young Workers in Small and Medium Enterprises

Recruitment of Participants Until March 15

Use for Health, Travel, and Book Purchases

From the 26th, Gyeongbuk Province will recruit 1,270 young workers employed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the province as beneficiaries of the ‘Young Worker Happiness Card Support Project,’ providing each person with 1 million points annually to improve the welfare of young people in Gyeongbuk.

The ‘Young Worker Happiness Card Support Project’ is a program aimed at enhancing the welfare and boosting the motivation of young workers in SMEs, who face high initial turnover rates due to low wages and poor welfare conditions.

Promotional material for the Youth Worker Happiness Card program.

Gyeongbuk Province first implemented this project nationwide in 2017, supporting 11,356 people over seven years with a budget of 12.2 billion KRW until last year.

This year, 1,270 people will be recruited. Eligible applicants are young people aged 19 to 39 who have newly joined SMEs in the province since June 1, 2022, have worked for at least six months, are registered residents of Gyeongbuk as of the project announcement date, and whose household income is at or below 130% of the 2024 median income.

Applications will be accepted from the 26th until 2 p.m. on March 15.

Selected beneficiaries will receive 1 million points per year, paid in two installments (initial selection + six months of continuous employment).

Recipients can visit nearby partner banks (NongHyup Bank or Daegu Bank) to apply for and receive the Happiness Card, which can be used both online and offline for health management (comprehensive health checkups, gym use), cultural and leisure activities (travel, performance viewing), self-development (academy courses, book purchases), and family-friendly expenses (childcare products, photography).

Jung Seong-hyun, Director of the Local Era Policy Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, “Recently, ‘improving welfare benefits’ has emerged as a priority for enhancing the preference for jobs at SMEs, and young people tend to prefer welfare systems similar to those of large corporations. This has accelerated the manpower shortage in SMEs, where working conditions are relatively poor. Through the Young Worker Happiness Card Support Project, young workers in SMEs will be able to autonomously use benefits in areas essential to their daily lives such as health, education, and cultural activities, thereby strengthening welfare benefits and helping to alleviate manpower shortages in SMEs.”

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