"I passed the industrial safety consultant exam."
A friend who had worked in the media industry shared the news. The friend said the studying had quietly begun after being placed on a wage peak system and, along with the joy of passing, admitted regret that the preparation had not started earlier.
South Korea is already a super-aged society. Shouldn't the very concept of employment services for middle-aged and older workers change as well? Until now, the focus has been on after-the-fact job placement — hurriedly finding work for people once they have retired. Now, support for career development should begin while workers are still employed. But what is career development? Middle-aged and older workers have 20 to 30 years of work experience, wherever they have worked. Yet industries and technologies change so quickly that this experience cannot simply be carried over to another job. What is needed is advance preparation: looking back on one's career so far (career diagnosis), deciding what career to pursue next (career design) and determining which capabilities to build and how (capability development). That is career development. But can individuals do all of this on their own? They need help from professionals.
The Korea Labor Foundation is advancing employment services for middle-aged and older workers from re-employment support to career development. Of the 12 Job Hope Centers for the Middle-Aged and Older that it operates directly, two are running this year as pilot "career development centers." The foundation plans to expand the model to all of its centers so that more middle-aged and older workers can develop their careers systematically. First, it plans to introduce a regular career diagnosis program. Most workers receive a regular health checkup from the National Health Insurance Service every two years. Shouldn't careers be examined every two years as well? The plan is to regularly assess the career development status of those aged 40 and over. Just as neglecting health checkups can turn later life into a painful extension of existence, neglecting career diagnosis can send later life into economic and personal ruin. Career development is now essential.
Such individual career development is effective only when it is directly connected to industrial workplaces. The foundation's 12 Job Hope Centers for the Middle-Aged and Older have each identified industries specific to their region, confirmed hiring demand and provided matching job training and recruitment support. The results have been excellent. But does a region have only one industry? What if the view shifted from regions to industries? That is why the foundation now offers wide-area services that identify and link hiring demand across multiple regions by industry. In the health care sector, for example, recruitment demand in Daegu and related talent development and matching services are being expanded to Daejeon and Gwangju. In shipping, Busan, Mokpo and Incheon have been connected. Shipbuilding, food service, forestry, used-car certification and integrated resorts are among the other fields where multiple regions are being tied together. Wouldn't the results then be not merely excellent but extraordinary?
From Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, the country is observing Employment Emphasis Week for the Middle-Aged and Older. Centered on Job Hope Centers for the Middle-Aged and Older nationwide, a range of events for middle-aged and older workers and companies is being held, including job fairs, talk concerts, job briefings and career experience programs. The events matter, but what matters more is understanding the value behind the slogan "beyond job placement, toward career development." Let us consider not just returning to work but how to work. Let us prepare for the future rather than being buried in the past. Middle-aged and older workers, too, can become artificial intelligence experts. Diagnose, design and prepare through the Korea Labor Foundation's career development centers, and results will follow. The more this happens, the stronger the future will be for middle-aged and older workers and for our society.
