Korea Employment Information Service [The Herald Business DB]
Korea Employment Information Service [The Herald Business DB]

Regional job policies must shift away from simple employment support and toward building sustainable local labor market ecosystems if South Korea is to counter population decline and youth exodus, researchers argued in a new publication. They called for integrated policies centered on resident settlement and regional vitality rather than headcount-driven performance metrics.

The recommendation appeared in the summer issue of "Regional Industry and Employment," a quarterly journal published Friday by the Korea Employment Information Service. Researcher Kim Tae-hwan wrote that conventional regional job policies alone cannot address the compounding problems of youth outflow, weakening industrial bases and declining local vitality that define the era of local extinction.

Kim said regional job policies must focus not merely on short-term employment support but on restructuring local labor markets into sustainable frameworks. He added that policy outcomes should be evaluated not only by quantitative indicators such as the number of employed workers or employment rates, but also by qualitative measures including resident settlement and the formation of social capital.

He identified three core tasks for regional job policy: shifting from short-term job creation to building a regional labor market ecosystem; moving from an industry-centered approach to strengthening a skills ecosystem organized around specific occupations; and transitioning from evaluating individual projects to establishing a shared performance-management framework at the regional level.

Hwang Jae-hee, a professor at Chonnam National University, highlighted "local creators" as a new employment strategy for areas experiencing population decline.

Hwang said regional employment policy should not stop at increasing the number of jobs but must be designed to strengthen local value chains. He said a range of initiatives drawing on local resources — including processed food development using regional specialties, the creation of distinctive streets in older downtown areas, and resident-driven cultural content using idle facilities — could generate new employment opportunities.

He also said local creator policies require tailored support by industry type and growth stage rather than uniform assistance, and that linking such policies with settlement measures covering residential, cultural and lifestyle services would improve their effectiveness.

Ryu Jang-su, a professor at Pukyong National University, said the flow of young people from regional areas to Greater Seoul is a central factor threatening local extinction and balanced national development.

Ryu proposed expanding local talent policies across a wider range of academic fields and strengthening scholarship and education support to reduce youth outflow during the university enrollment process. He said existing regional policies — including local talent hiring quotas at public institutions, investment promotion subsidies and opportunity development special zones — should be coordinated to support the employment and settlement of regional university graduates. He added that the fiscal support and institutional foundations underpinning those efforts must also be continuously expanded.


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