The Ministry of Employment and Labor has collaborated with the construction industry labor and management to improve the employment environment for construction workers.
Minister Kim Moon-soo of the Ministry of Employment and Labor held a meeting with construction industry stakeholders at the Seoul Specialized Construction Hall on March 17 to discuss the implementation plans for the ‘5th Basic Plan for Construction Worker Employment Improvement.’ This meeting was organized to concretize the implementation plans announced on February 27 and to listen directly to voices from the field.
The construction industry pointed out that the business environment is shrinking due to economic stagnation, high-interest rates, and rising construction costs, which are worsening the employment environment. In particular, there is an urgent need to address structural issues such as youth employment aversion, skilled labor shortages, wage arrears, and industrial accident risks.
Minister Kim Moon-soo stated, “The construction job market is facing increased difficulties due to the downturn in the construction economy.” He further emphasized, “There are ongoing structural issues such as youth employment aversion, skilled labor shortages, and increased safety accident risks, necessitating urgent measures to address these problems.”
The government plans to focus on key tasks such as enhancing youth and women’s employment support, fostering skilled labor through the introduction of a skill grading system, expanding electronic payment systems to prevent wage arrears, and improving the retirement benefit scheme for construction day laborers.
Attention is being drawn to whether policies reflecting voices from construction sites will be materialized through this consultation.
