12 December 2021
Youth-friendliness in the workplace should be a new standard for choosing a job.
A young worker working in the Sihwa Industrial Complex said, “Free coffee mix might be the only form of employee welfare.”
The Committee for Youth under the Economic, Social and Labor Council held a discussion forum titled ‘Are you ready?: Youth, the Industrial Complexes, and the New Normal in Workplaces.’
□ In association with the city of Siheung, the Committee for Youth under the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) held a discussion forum titled ‘Are you ready?: Youth, the Industrial Complexes, and the New Normal in Workplaces’ at Youth Station, Siheung on December 11.
○Hee-jeong Park, Head of the Siheung Worker Support Center, Ho-yeon Hwang, President of the SiheungYouth Life Union, Byeong-taek Lim, Mayor of Siheung, Sung-hyun Moon, Chairperson of the ESLC, and about 30 young people residing in Siheung attended the forum to find solutions for the job mismatch among youth.
□ Hee-jeong Park, Head of the Siheung Worker Support Center, took the floor as the first speaker, pointed out some the problems at the Siheung Industrial Complex in terms of youth employment, and suggested solutions to the problems.
○ Park said, “The Siheung Industrial Complex was not built with a long-term perspective and in full consideration of comprehensive development. The efforts of individual companies in the Complex are not enough to make the Complex attractive to young people.”
○Park emphasized, “A joint effort to improve wages, working conditions, and the environment of the Complex and the provision of education, training, and employment service are required to make a youth-friendly industrial complex.”
□ Ho-yeon Hwang, President of the SiheungYouth Life Union, presented the results of interviews with young workers at the Sihwa Industrial Complex who complained about transportation and employee welfare.
○ Hwang presented some of the complaints of young workers, saying, “Because public transportation near the Sihwa Industrial Complex is sparse, it is very difficult to commute and sometimes we have to walk about one hour to take a bus or taxi after working overtime at night.”
○ Hwang also introduced a comment from a young worker who said, “Break rooms are often inadequate or nonexistent and the quality of the cafeteria food is poor. Free coffee mix might be the only form of employee welfare.”
□ Eun-ju Cho, a member of the Office of Policy Development of the city of Siheung and head of the Subcommittee for Youth under the Office, gave a presentation on the labor policies of the city of Siheung and its future tasks for young workers at the industrial complexes.
○ Cho proposed future tasks for the city of Siheung for young workers in Siheung such as expanding the Siheung Happy Youth Company Package, certifying and monitoring youth-friendly industrial complexes, strengthening education on a labor right for workers and employers, and providing education and re-education customized for the major industries of the region for a fair transition.
□ In the ‘Let’s discuss’ session, about 30 young participants were divided into five groups where they exchanged opinions, identified agenda items, and sought solutions.
□Sung-hyun Moon, Chairperson of the ESLC, said, “Young people with experience working at an industrial complex gathered at today’s forum and had productive discussions on young worker-friendly industrial complexes. We all need to try to reflect today’s suggestions by young people on better industrial complexes in the policies of the city of Siheung and the central government’s policies to make workplaces favorable to young people working in the field.”
□ The ESLC Committee for Youth is holding regional discussion forums to discuss youth employment issues and collect opinions from young people on regional employment issues.
