[Hotterview] Chae I-bae, Surprising 1st Place in Gyeonggi-do Institution Head Evaluation

Gyeonggi-do Job Foundation Head Ranks 1st, Institution 2nd
Chae Cited for 'Organizational Innovation and Vision Presentation'

In this year's management evaluation of Gyeonggi Province public institution heads, based on the 2023 performance, former Gyeonggi Job Foundation CEO Chae I-bae ranked first. Chae took office as CEO in December 2022 and resigned in August 2023 to run in the general election. Despite his short tenure, he was recognized as a 'surprise first place' for his efforts to stabilize the organization and discover new projects.

Chae previously served as a proportional representative for the People's Party in the 20th National Assembly, and in the April 10 general election, he ran as a preliminary candidate for Gunsan City, Jeonbuk Province, under the Democratic Party of Korea but later unified with another candidate. He stated that he is currently seeking opportunities to work in the economic sector.

Former Representative Chae I-bae of Gyeonggi-do Job Foundation.
[Photo provided by Former Representative Chae's side]

What was the secret to ranking first among Gyeonggi Province public institution heads?

I transformed the seven-year-old Gyeonggi Job Foundation into a completely new institution. Early in my tenure, I made significant personnel changes to rapidly innovate the organization. I also adjusted some of the projects and operated the organization with a focus on performance, which seems to have produced good results. The Gyeonggi Job Foundation was originally an organization combining four centers, but when I visited two years ago, I found they were all operating separately. To truly make it one organization, I changed it to a regional headquarters system.

Did you expect to receive the top evaluation as an institution head?

No. The organization members all made steady efforts to improve slightly, so I expected the institution to perform better than the previous year. However, honestly, I did not expect to be ranked first as an institution head at all.

I heard you discovered new job projects.

We strengthened the job connection (supply) role of 'Jobaba,' the job platform operated by the Gyeonggi Job Foundation. In particular, there was not much information about 'good jobs.' So, we obtained job information from partner companies of large corporations and used it as a win-win cooperation strategy. In 2022, we achieved about 10,000 employment outcomes annually. I set a long-term goal to increase that by more than 50% to 15,000 in 2023, and when I asked how it went afterward, I was told that last year, the employment outcome was 17,000.

Did you personally set the long-term goal?

Yes. While reorganizing the organization, I established a new long-term vision. The Gyeonggi Job Foundation clearly set the goal of 'achieving employment outcomes through two functions: vocational training and career counseling.' Based on the job information from companies we brought in, we also strengthened the career counseling function. Instead of just listening to job seekers and connecting them, we reversed the process by listening to companies and finding people for them.

Do you have any regrets about not completing your full term?

I felt sorry for our staff and employees because I left before completing my term. Fortunately, the institution ranked second in this evaluation, which somewhat made up for it and gave me peace of mind. All these good results were thanks to the staff who worked together. I am very grateful to them.

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