The city of Busan has developed a comprehensive support plan to help young people find jobs and establish their livelihoods in the region. On the 24th, Busan announced its implementation of the “Youth G-Generation” plan for 2025, which includes three major strategies under the themes of Zero Job Mismatch, Increased Policy Satisfaction, and Youth Participation Plus. These strategies encompass 25 key tasks and 95 projects with a total budget of 414.6 billion won.
Firstly, the youth employment one-stop system will be strengthened. The “Youth Job Growth Project,” which offers a one-stop service from workforce training to job matching and retention support, will be expanded from its original scale of 3.1 billion won to 3.5 billion won. The “Youth-Friendly Companies” initiative will be revamped into Season 2, with the number of participating companies increasing from 100 to 110, and youth-friendly employers from 3 to 5.
To effectively match youth and businesses, a personalized job search counseling “Job Management Responsibility System” will be introduced. Young individuals who secure employment through dedicated managers will receive 1 million won per person if they maintain their position for over a year. Additionally, for companies retaining regular employees for a year, annual labor costs of 7.2 million won will be supported.
Furthermore, the city will expand its connection with university job centers to create a “Youth Job One-Stop Support Council,” in collaboration with Busan Employment and Labor Office, universities, and economic organizations, significantly improving support projects from the youth perspective.
To enhance the perception of support in the “housing sector,” moving expenses will be provided for young people moving into Busan or relocating within the city. The housing support package will be expanded, doubling the support amount for the “monthly rent support project” and offering nationwide lowest interest rates for the “rental deposit loan interest support project.” The “jeonse deposit guarantee fee support project” eligibility will also be doubled.
In the “education sector,” the Regional Innovation-Based University Support System (RISE) will be introduced to transform university support into a regionally driven system. In the “welfare and culture sector,” the “Busan Youth Ten Thousand Won Culture Pass” will be upgraded to the “Busan Youth Ten Thousand Plus Culture Pass,” expanding eligible participants from 5,000 to 8,000. Various performances will be diversified by adding small-scale performance package tickets to coexist with the local art scene.
The city’s flagship asset-building program, the “Busan Youth Double Joy Account,” will expand its participants from 4,000 to 6,000. The “Youth Emotional Connection Program,” aimed at emotional recovery for youth in psychological blind spots, will also see its target group grow from 700 to 1,000.
Aiming to encourage youth participation, the city will mandate over 10% youth representation in under-committee meetings, with youth-focused committees comprising 30% young members. The “Youth Space Switch On” project will invigorate youth spaces by establishing the Busan Youth Center as a control tower and creating base youth spaces in districts to enhance interactions between different areas.
Moreover, the city will trial the “Youth Residing Population Inflow Activation Project” to transition from a policy perspective focused on resident population to living population. In relation to the “Youth Generation Plan,” Busan held the “6th City Happiness Busan Meeting” chaired by Mayor Park Heong-joon at the Youth Action Center in the afternoon, during which they conducted a “Sympathy Concert” to connect with the youth.
Mayor Park expressed, “I want to instill confidence in young people that they can stay and achieve their dreams in Busan,” and emphasized, “Based on the ‘Youth G-Generation Promotion Plan,’ we will plan and execute better youth policies.”