Kim Ji-hyung, chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Commission [Yonhap]
Kim Ji-hyung, chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Commission [Yonhap]

South Korea's Economic, Social and Labor Commission is launching a formal public deliberation process to find employment solutions amid the country's low birth rate and aging population. The initiative will bring citizens with differing views together in one-on-one conversations about the job challenges posed by demographic change, with the results feeding into future policy discussions.

The commission announced Friday that it will hold a "Vivid Jobs Dialogue" session Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Seoul Employment and Labor Center, centered on the question of how society should prepare for demographic shifts and their impact on employment. The event marks the first preliminary deliberation program of the Special Committee on Demographic Change and Employment, which launched July 16.

Fifty citizens interested in employment issues will take part. Participants will be categorized through a pre-event survey and then paired into 25 groups, with each pair drawn from people holding different views and backgrounds, for one-on-one dialogue. The discussion findings will be reported to the special committee's second meeting on Aug. 20 and used as reference material for the full deliberation process to follow.

Ahead of the event, the commission identified key agenda items through an online pre-vote, including the use of skilled older workers, the re-entry of career-interrupted workers into the labor market, balancing youth hiring with senior employment, and the issue of young people who have stopped looking for work. The pre-vote results showed wide support for creating environments where older and younger workers can work side by side, and a majority of respondents said structural and social support is needed to address youth unemployment.

"To respond wisely to the employment challenges brought on by demographic change, we need diverse perspectives from citizens with different backgrounds and interests," commission Chairman Kim Ji-hyung said. "I hope this citizen dialogue becomes the starting point for resolving the employment challenges our society faces."

The commission plans to follow Saturday's preliminary session with deliberative forums in the Greater Seoul area and other regions, a 100-person citizens' assembly and a citizen proposal conference, culminating in a set of citizen policy recommendations in November. The final outcomes are expected to feed into policy and institutional reform discussions through social dialogue involving labor, management, government and other stakeholders.

The deliberation is one of three major agenda items under a deliberative public engagement platform project the Office for Government Policy Coordination is pursuing for the first time this year. Under the theme of "generational coexistence and lifelong employment," the commission plans to work with the public on ways to build a sustainable employment system spanning all generations and a stable foundation for jobs throughout people's lives.


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