SEOUL, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday pledged that the government will help create jobs by pushing for labor reforms to make the job market more flexible.
Han also painted a bleak picture for the labor market this year but said the government will no longer create jobs funded by tax money, apparent criticism of the previous administration for creating temporary public jobs to prop up job statistics.
“The size of the increase in the number of employed people is expected to significantly decline this year, and the employment outlook is not so bright,” Han told a job fair. “But there is a limit to using taxpayer money to create jobs. This is not the hope that young people want and cannot guarantee sustainable growth.”
“Through the efficiency and flexibility of the labor market, we will innovate the industrial structure and create new growth engines,” Han said.
He said the government will make efforts to root out irregularities and corruption in the labor market.
In addition, the government will remove outdated regulations hindering investment and new businesses, the prime minister said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency