Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부) Work Plan for the Second Half of 2026 — Building a One-Stop Youth Employment Support System
Source material is a Korean government announcement (in Korean).
The Ministry of Employment and Labor reported its work plan for the second half of the year on August 4, 2026, and said it will build a 'one-stop youth employment support system' linking youth employment from entry through job retention and expand support for workers in special types of employment and platform workers.
Key facts
| Announcement | Ministry of Employment and Labor report on the work plan for the second half of 2026 (August 4, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Youth jobs | Building a 'one-stop youth employment support system'; new K-Youth Guarantee (participation in the National Employment Support Program even without work experience) |
| Work-experience placements | Public sector: 20,000 across all ministries; private sector: 45,000 |
| Non-standard workers | New (tentatively named) K-Labor Welfare Chamber — covering 8.69 million people, including workers in special types of employment and platform workers |
| Employment insurance expansion | Enrolled artists and service providers: 950,000 → up to 1.6 million |
| Middle-aged and older workers | Workplaces required to provide reemployment support services: 1,000 employees → 500 next year → 300 or more in 2029 |
| Unpaid wages | From January next year, the separate wage payment system extends to private construction and shipbuilding |
| Heat wave and asphyxiation prevention | 24-hour dedicated management system with local governments |
| First-half figures | 253 deaths from industrial accidents (down 11.8% from a year earlier); 924.8 billion won in unpaid wages (down 10.7% from a year earlier) |
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The Ministry of Employment and Labor reported its work plan for the second half of this year on August 4. It will build a 'one-stop youth employment support system' linking young people's entry into the labor market, improvement of skills and experience, expansion of private- and public-sector jobs, and conditions for staying in work. It will newly establish the K-Youth Guarantee (K-유스개런티) so that young people without work experience can also take part in the National Employment Support Program (국민취업지원제도), and will expand work-experience placements in the public sector (20,000 across all ministries) and the private sector (45,000) as well as the large-company-led K-New Deal Academy. It will establish the (tentatively named) K-Labor Welfare Chamber (K-노동복지회의소) to provide comprehensive support for the workplaces, welfare, growth, and later years of 8.69 million non-standard workers, including workers in special types of employment (특수형태근로종사자) and platform workers, and will expand the number of artists and service providers enrolled in employment insurance from the current 950,000 to up to 1.6 million. The requirement to provide reemployment support services for middle-aged and older workers will expand in stages from workplaces with 1,000 employees at present to workplaces with 500 next year and 300 or more in 2029. To prevent summer heat waves and manhole asphyxiation accidents, it will set up a 24-hour dedicated management system with local governments, and from January next year it will extend the separate wage payment system, previously applied only to public construction, to private construction and shipbuilding. In the first half of this year, deaths from industrial accidents totaled 253 (down 11.8% from a year earlier) and unpaid wages totaled 924.8 billion won (down 10.7% from a year earlier).
Summaries below are factual notes based on government announcements and primary sources — not evaluations or opinions.
FAQ
What changes for youth employment support?
A 'one-stop youth employment support system' will be built, linking entry into the labor market, improvement of skills and experience, expansion of private- and public-sector jobs, and conditions for staying in work, and the K-Youth Guarantee will be newly established so that young people without work experience can also take part in the National Employment Support Program.
What support do platform workers and workers in special types of employment receive?
A (tentatively named) K-Labor Welfare Chamber will be established to provide comprehensive support for the workplaces, welfare, growth, and later years of 8.69 million non-standard workers, including workers in special types of employment and platform workers, and the number of artists and service providers enrolled in employment insurance will expand from 950,000 to up to 1.6 million.
What are the measures on unpaid wages?
From January next year, the separate wage payment system, previously applied only to public construction, will be extended to private construction and shipbuilding, and workplaces with repeated unpaid-wage reports will continue to be subject to full inspections.