Korea’s Path to Shared Growth
Connecting Youth and Business
The 2025 Growing Together Job Fair
As prolonged employment gaps among young people and persistent labor shortages at SMEs deepen simultaneously, the government and the business community have joined forces to develop solutions. In October, FKI, in cooperation with relevant ministries and companies, hosted the 2025 Growing Together Job Fair, creating a platform for mutually beneficial employment support that connects opportunities for youth with talent needs for companies.
Compiled by Na-yeon Kim
Photo Credit Dong-yeol Kim
Prolonged Employment Gaps and Growing Talent Shortages
A survey conducted by FKI in preparation for the 2025 Growing Together Job Fair clearly illustrates the structural challenges facing Korea’s labor market.
Among the 1,020 young respondents, 66.7% reported having experienced a recent employment gap. This was not limited to short interruptions. Four out of ten respondents, or 39%, had been seeking employment for more than six months. These findings indicate that young job seekers face multiple, overlapping challenges, including anxiety over résumé gaps, repeated rejections and a hiring culture that prioritizes prior experience.
Companies reported similar difficulties. Of the 215 participating firms, 58% responded that securing young talent was difficult. Some companies noted that recruitment challenges were already affecting management activities and business expansion. As with job seekers, these challenges reflect a combination of factors, including location, wage levels, and job-specific skill requirements. The responses highlight a shared perception among both youth and companies of a widening gap between “desired jobs” and “desired talent.”
A First Step Toward Resolving Employment Mismatch
FKI diagnosed this situation as a form of “structural mismatch,” in which job seekers and companies struggle to find one another. Young people find it difficult to access tangible opportunities, while companies face obstacles in securing the talent they need.
The 2025 Growing Together Job Fair was designed to create practical connections to narrow this gap, and it is a public-private partnership project jointly promoted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Commission for Corporate Partnership, and FKI. The event is also significant as the first economy-wide joint recruitment fair held by the business community in 15 years. Approximately 500 companies participated both online and offline, including partner firms of major groups such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and LG. Of these, 161 companies engaged directly with young job seekers through on-site booths.
At the opening ceremony, representatives from the government and the business community reaffirmed youth employment as a national priority and emphasized their shared commitment to restoring a sustainable youth employment ecosystem through public-private cooperation.
Building Skills on Site, Creating Pathways to Opportunity
The job fair featured a range of practical programs designed to simultaneously strengthen youth capabilities and support corporate recruitment. These included corporate recruitment zones, a Ministry of Employment and Labor youth employment policy zone, a specialized recruitment zone for AI-driven high-potential firms, career and employability development zones, and recruitment booths for outstanding SMEs selected by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Programs aimed at enhancing practical job readiness received particularly strong interest. These included AI-based résumé consulting, AR mock interviews, metaverse interview experiences using head-mounted displays, seasonal color analysis, and interview attire consulting. In the corporate recruitment zones, companies from sectors with high interest among young job seekers, such as advanced manufacturing, smart mobility, and aerospace, conducted on-site consultations. To improve accessibility for those unable to attend in person, an online job fair was operated through December. This approach enabled continued matching between young job seekers and companies regardless of region or time constraints, further expanding the scope of mutually beneficial employment. FKI plans to build on these initial connections by continuing inclusive employment support programs, with the goal of creating even more opportunities and encounters in the year ahead.