The Ministry of Employment and Labor has pledged to create more jobs for young adults who have been hit hard by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The ministry announced measures to revitalize employment of young workers  on Wednesday. 

The ministry said it will expand the scope of its job program that partially provides personnel expenses to businesses that hire youths for digital work, including content planning and big data. Currently, businesses can hire up to 50-thousand young adults for such duties but under the measures announced on Wednesday, the scope will be expanded to 110-thousand. 

Also in a bid to encourage small- and medium-sized firms’ hiring of youths, the government will provide a special subsidy for boosting recruitment to 20-thousand young adults first. With this subsidy, the government is ultimately aiming to create 50-thousand jobs. 

Small businesses that provide an employment contract of more than six months will receive up to one million won in monthly special subsidies and medium-sized firms, up to 800-thousand won, for a period of six months.