The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said that it had designated 25 Job Hope Centers for Middle-Aged People to provide comprehensive outplacement services, including reemployment, business start-up and life planning support, to current and prospective retirees aged 40 and over.
The 15 outplacement service centers run by the Korea Labor Management Foundation and six employment service centers for experienced professionals were consolidated into 19 Job Hope Centers. And on January 30th six more organizations* were added to them.
* Korean Association of Retired Persons, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Pyeongtaek, Goyang, Northern Chungnam and Mokpo Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Job Hope Centers will serve as outplacement service infrastructure dedicated to middle-aged people across the nation.
They will provide various services, including job placement for middle-aged job seekers, outplacement consulting, second-career development and planning, and outplacement services for middle-aged workers at SMEs.
Among the centers added this time, the Pyeongtaek Chamber of Commerce and Industry was preferentially designated given the need to support retired Ssangyong Motor workers. The Goyang, Northern Chugnam and Mokpo Chambers of Commerce and Industry were also newly designated as Job Hope Centers in Northern Gyeonggi, Chungnam and Jeonnam provinces, respectively, where there had been no outplacement service agency.
Meanwhile, as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its four local chambers were designated in addition to the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea International Trade Association and the Korea Employers Federation, all of the five major business associations in Korea have come to provide outplacement services.
MOEL plans to increase the number of Job Hope Centers for Middle-Aged People every year, thereby establishing a more close-knit nationwide infrastructure for outplacement services.
There has been growing demand for reemployment services among middle-aged people due to population aging, retirement of baby boomers and corporate restructuring induced by the global economic recession.
However, companies' voluntary outplacement services for retiring workers are not enough, making it difficult for retirees to find work again. And 'retirement without preparation' is causing social problems, such as self-employment failure. Against this background, the government reasoned that active responses were needed.
MOEL will also require large companies with 300 employees or more to provide outplacement services, including reemployment and business start-up training and job placement, to workers who have to leave their jobs due to involuntary causes, such as a retirement age limit and dismissal for managerial reasons.
* An amendment to the Act on Age Discrimination Prohibition in Employment and Aged Employment Promotion containing these features was submitted to the National Assembly on Oct. 29, 2012.
If a current or prospective retiree aged 40 and over or an employer wants to use outplacement services, he/she should contact or visit the nearest Job Hope Center. He/she can also apply and receive counseling via Job Hope Net for the Middle-Aged (www.4060job.or.kr).
Employment and Labor Minister Lee Chae-pil emphasized, "Given the current situation in which middle-aged workers, including baby boomers, retire from their primary jobs at 53, it is urgent for companies to voluntarily provide outplacement services and public outplacement services to play their proper role."
He also said, "I hope Job Hope Centers will systematically help middle-aged people having difficulties in finding reemployment to plan their second careers."
*Government press release (February 1)