Gyeonggi Province Pursues 'Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project' to Address COVID-19-Driven Employment Crisis

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 5th that it will push forward the '2021 Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project,' a job creation initiative led by the metropolitan local government, to foster workforce development and job creation in response to the COVID-19-driven employment crisis this year.

The Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project is part of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Regional and Industry-Tailored Job Creation Support Project,' and Gyeonggi Province has been implementing it for the fifth consecutive year since 2017 together with the Gyeonggi Human Resources Development Council.

The 2021 Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project plans to advance 9 projects in 2 sectors: ①job creation through regional industrial development, and ②future job creation for new growth in Gyeonggi's key industries, with the aim of training 285 individuals and creating 658 jobs.

First, the 'job creation through regional industrial development' sector targets regions within Gyeonggi, such as northern Gyeonggi, where employment has stagnated or developed poorly. It plans to advance 6 projects this year to create 411 jobs.

These include high value-added job creation specialized in textiles and leather, customized job creation in central-western Gyeonggi (Cadream), job creation through machinery parts support in central Gyeonggi, customized job coordination for Gimpo Industrial Complex, employment consulting for the Gyeonggi region, and the Gyeonggi Employment Academy.

Second, 'future job creation for new growth in Gyeonggi's key industries' is a project linked with industries capable of creating future jobs, such as semiconductors and automobiles. It plans to advance 3 projects this year with a goal of creating 247 jobs.

Specifically, it will implement a workforce infrastructure improvement project for the Gyeonggi system semiconductor industry, job creation through package support for automotive parts manufacturers, and a beginner game activation project.

The Province and the Human Resources Development Council plan to establish close collaborative systems with business execution organizations including the Gyeonggi Textile Industry Federation, Gyeonggi Industry-Academia Convergence Headquarters, Machinery Industry Growth Foundation, Gimpo Industrial Complex Corporation, Gyeonggi Business Association, Hwaseong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Korea Game Developers Association to ensure the success of this year's innovation project.

In particular, through the Gyeonggi region and industry job networking, regional employment consulting, and operation of the employment academy, the Province plans to support the establishment of region-led employment policies and construction of sustainable job creation models.

Hun Byeong-cheon, Director of the Jobs and Economic Policy Division at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Despite the employment crisis triggered by the spread of COVID-19, we were able to provide quality jobs to provincial residents through the Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project," and added, "This year, we will do our best to create jobs linked with regional industries and build employment infrastructure."

To date, the Gyeonggi Regional Innovation Project has achieved the outcomes of cultivating 1,162 specialized personnel and creating 1,640 jobs.