Changwon Special City Launches All-Out Effort for Customized Job Creation Across All Generations
by Song Jonggu
Published 28 Jan.2026 11:54(KST)
Job Creation Plans for Youth, Middle-Aged, Seniors, and Vulnerable Groups
in Response to Demographic Shifts and Changing Population Structure
Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam is making a concerted effort this year to create jobs across all generations.
In response to rapidly changing employment conditions, such as demographic shifts and the onset of a super-aged society, the city has established tailored job creation plans for youth, middle-aged, seniors, and vulnerable groups, and will begin implementing them one by one starting this month.
◇ Quality Youth Jobs and Support for Entry into Society
Changwon City is working to create a variety of youth jobs to prevent young people from leaving the region, which is a major cause of the city's population decline.
In particular, starting January 1 of this year, Article 20-2 (Support for Veterans of Mandatory Military Service) of the "Changwon City Youth Basic Ordinance" has been enforced. Under this provision, veterans of mandatory military service are considered youth up to the age of 42, depending on their service period, and can participate in youth support programs organized by the city, such as the Youth Interview Allowance and the Youth Tomorrow Savings Account.
The city will first provide on-site training opportunities for young people through the "Youth Job Program Linked to New Industries" (20 participants) in fields such as digital, semiconductors, and port logistics, and the "Work Experience Support Program" (70 participants), which connects youth with companies (organizations) employing three or more regular workers.
Additionally, to help young people who have given up on job searching return to the labor market, the city is promoting the "Youth Challenge Support Program" (130 participants). Participants will receive customized employment support programs tailored to short-, medium-, and long-term needs, as well as participation allowances of up to 3.5 million won. Through the "Youth Cafe" (1,183 participants), a youth growth project, the city aims to boost young people's motivation to seek jobs and facilitate employment. To support this, the city will also offer free interview suit rentals (up to two times per person), interview allowances (up to two times per year per person, maximum 100,000 won), and qualification exam fees (once per year per person, maximum 100,000 won).
The city is also focusing on supporting youth technology startups. To "strengthen the capabilities of aspiring youth entrepreneurs," 20 teams will be selected to receive education on key guides for early-stage entrepreneurs and tax knowledge. In addition, 35 young people with innovative, technology-based startup items will receive a "Youth Technology Startup Allowance" of 700,000 won per month via check card from March to November.
Furthermore, the city will newly implement the "Professional Sports Youth Internship Support Program" for unemployed youth, providing field training allowances at professional sports teams and offering opportunities to experience various roles in the professional sports industry.
◇ Strengthening Customized Jobs for the Middle-Aged
To address demographic changes, Changwon City is strengthening customized job support to enhance the reemployment competitiveness of the middle-aged (ages 40-64). The city has prepared various support measures, including expanding hiring incentives for companies and providing job seekers with support for obtaining certifications and digital skill training.
The city has doubled the scale of the "New Middle-Aged Tomorrow Connection 50+ Program," which received strong support from companies last year. Small and medium-sized enterprises in the city that newly hire job seekers aged 50 or older and retain them for at least five months will receive 2.5 million won per person. The target number of participants has been increased by 15 from last year to 50, reducing the labor cost burden on companies and lowering the reemployment barrier for the middle-aged.
Additionally, to reduce the financial burden on job seekers and enhance their expertise, the city is newly launching the "National Certification Exam Application and Acquisition Incentive Program" this year. Unemployed people aged 40 to 64 will receive up to 100,000 won per year for exam fees, and those who obtain certifications will receive an additional incentive of 200,000 won.
◇ Expansion of Senior Job Programs in 2026
In response to the super-aged society, Changwon City will expand senior job programs to ensure stable income and social participation for the elderly.
The city officially entered a super-aged society as of the end of June last year. The United Nations defines an "aging society" as one where people aged 65 or older make up at least 7% of the total population, an "aged society" as 14% or more, and a "super-aged society" as 20% or more.
Accordingly, under the "2026 Senior Job and Social Activity Support Program," the city will provide a total of 16,681 jobs, an increase of 284 compared to the previous year (16,397). The total project budget is 65.62 billion won, up by 2.404 billion won (4%) from the previous year.
This year's program will offer jobs tailored to seniors' skills and preferred fields, including: △ 11,463 positions in the Senior Public Interest Activity Program (such as school zones and environmental maintenance), △ 2,753 positions in the Senior Capability Utilization Program (supporting facilities and institutions using experience and talents), △ 1,317 positions in the Community Business Group (food manufacturing and sales, etc.), and △ 1,148 positions in Employment Support (private sector job placement).
The project will be carried out by 16 organizations, including Changwon City and private agencies: △ 5 Senior Clubs, △ 3 Senior Associations, △ 5 Senior Welfare Centers, △ 1 Employment Welfare Center, and △ 2 Job Creation Centers.
◇ Supporting the Self-Reliance of Vulnerable Groups
Changwon City will actively implement public job programs from this month to support the livelihoods and work motivation of vulnerable groups. In the first half of the year, a total of 4.7 billion won (1.5 billion won for the Community Job Program and 3.2 billion won for the Public Work Program) will be invested to provide 845 public jobs in four categories: administrative informatization, service support, environmental maintenance, and others.
For the first half of the year, the Community Job Program recruited 210 participants by the 16th, and the Public Work Program recruited 635 participants by the 23rd. The participation period for these programs is four months, from March 3 to June 30. Recruitment and guidance for the second half of the year are scheduled for July.
Meanwhile, Changwon City previously recruited participants for the 2026 Disabled Persons Job Program, aimed at expanding social participation and ensuring stable income for people with disabilities, from October to November last year. The program targets unemployed people with disabilities aged 18 or older, with a total of 525 participants: △ 124 full-time, △ 57 part-time, △ 305 welfare-type, and △ 39 specialized-type positions. The project plan and recruitment for the 2027 program will be announced in the second half of this year.
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