Gyeonggi Province to Create 78,000 Public Jobs...Largest Scale Nationwide

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province, together with 31 cities and counties, is implementing the 'Gyeonggi Hope Jobs Project' targeting economically vulnerable groups facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19, investing a total of 32.737 billion won to create 78,807 public jobs.

According to the province on the 14th, the 'Gyeonggi Hope Jobs Project' is an initiative pursued jointly by Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to provide public jobs to economically vulnerable residents in the province, thereby supporting their livelihoods and boosting local economic vitality.

The province will invest a total of 32.737 billion won, comprising 29.218 billion won in national budget and 3.519 billion won in local budget. This is the largest-scale hope jobs project among those being implemented by 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide.

The project will be implemented by selecting vulnerable residents in need of livelihood support and providing support for labor costs to enable them to participate in a total of 10 types of 'public jobs projects' including quarantine measures, disaster prevention, and specialized projects promoted by Gyeonggi Province and the cities and counties.

Specifically, Gyeonggi Province projects include 'Gyeonggi Youth Hope Jobs Support,' 'Unfair Trade Resident Monitoring Group,' 'Visiting Intangible Cultural Property Teacher Activities,' 'Traditional Market Online Order Delivery Staff,' and 'COVID-19 Cyber Quarantine Force.'

Major projects promoted by cities and counties include 'Clean Valley Enforcement Assistant Staff,' 'Forest Protection,' 'Happy Village Management,' 'Illegal Wildlife Poaching Guidance,' and 'Helping Farmwork.'

Applicants must be residents aged 18 or older who are economically vulnerable or those who have lost their jobs or had to suspend or close their businesses due to COVID-19. However, participation may be restricted if applicants are already participating in other job projects.

Participants in the hope jobs project will work approximately 15-30 hours per week and 3-6 hours per day, with some projects allowing up to 8 hours of work per day. Wages will be paid based on the provincial living wage for Gyeonggi Province projects and the minimum wage for city and county projects, and support for four major insurance subscriptions will also be provided.

The province estimates that through the implementation of this project, it will be able to provide public jobs to a total of 78,807 people, comprising 1,288 from province projects and 77,519 from city and county projects.

Hyun Byeong-cheon, Director of the Jobs and Economic Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Through this project, we will be able to achieve two goals: providing livelihood support for vulnerable groups and expanding public services overall. Going forward, we will continue to discover projects to minimize economic damage caused by COVID-19 and revitalize the local economy."

Since projects are currently underway, recruitment announcements are being issued, or preparations are underway depending on the implementing agency and project characteristics, detailed matters such as application methods can be confirmed through the Gyeonggi Province Government website (www.gg.go.kr) and city and county websites.