Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Wins the Grand Prize at the “National Local Government Job Awards”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that on the afternoon of the 30th at Cheongju Osco, it won the Metropolitan Grand Prize (Prime Minister’s Award) in the “Public Disclosure System” category and the Excellence Award (Minister’s Award) in the “Outstanding Project” category at the 2025 National Local Government Job Awards.

*Regional Job Target Disclosure System (Ministry of Employment and Labor): A regional employment revitalization strategy in which local governments establish and publicly announce job creation targets to residents, while the central government supports the smooth implementation of job policies and provides incentives to local governments with outstanding achievements.

The “National Local Government Job Awards,” hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, is a prestigious award that comprehensively evaluates local governments’ employment policies and outcomes, selecting and recognizing the most outstanding cases. It is regarded as a representative indicator of the success of local job creation policies.

Public Disclosure System Category

Despite difficult economic conditions, the city actively promoted job creation projects through strong financial support. As a result, it achieved comprehensive outcomes including the creation of jobs centered on regional specialties and new industries, nurturing of future talent, provision of tailored jobs for different groups, and protection of the rights of vulnerable workers. This led to the honor of winning the Metropolitan Grand Prize.

• ●In emerging industries such as hydrogen, shipbuilding, and blue food tech, the city created 1,470 jobs.

• ●Through the Busan Digital Innovation Academy (BDIA), 4,482 ICT talents were trained, and 2,431 of them were connected to employment.

• ●In 2024, the city attracted KRW 6 trillion in private investment, revitalizing the local economy and establishing a foundation for job creation.

• ●As a leading city in industry-academia cooperation, it established the Busan-type RISE basic plan and strengthened the settlement of practical talents in local companies through the “Busan Waterloo-style Co-op” and the “Industry-Academia On-site Training Bridge Project.”

• ●It systematically nurtured 730 specialized talents in new industries such as artificial intelligence and information security, and 800 in the port and logistics fields. In addition, education programs related to smart cities and smart logistics, along with R&D personnel training, further strengthened the foundation for future industries.

• ●Through customized job support for specific groups, including youth, seniors, women, and people with disabilities, the city provided 91,096 customized jobs in total. Across all financial support job programs, it exceeded its target by 110 percent (from 189,988 to 208,959).

• ●It also focused on protecting labor rights and improving working conditions by operating a Platform Worker Support Center, providing rest shelters for mobile workers, and establishing a dedicated Industrial Safety Team.

As a result, employment indicators achieved record highs:

• ●Employment rate (ages 15–64) reached 66.9 percent, the highest ever.

• ●Youth employment rate (ages 15–29) recorded 46.1 percent, the highest ever and ranked first among metropolitan cities and provinces in growth rate.

• ●The number of employed women reached 759,000, the highest ever.

• ●The number of regular workers rose to 939,000, marking the highest growth rate (6.24%) among metropolitan cities and provinces.

Outstanding Project Category

The city’s “Our Neighborhood ESG Jobs” program, based on the collection and recycling of waste plastics to build a resource circulation ecosystem combined with senior employment, was recognized as an innovative case of creating a sustainable eco-friendly job model connecting generations.

• ●From 2022 to 2024, the project created a total of 1,680 senior jobs.

• ●It collected more than 70,000 tons of waste plastics, reduced carbon emissions by approximately 95 tons, and provided environmental education to over 8,900 participants at kindergartens and elementary schools.

• ●Notably, the project won a Silver Award at the “Green World Awards 2025,” earning international recognition and demonstrating the global expansion potential of Busan’s job creation policies. In August, the fifth branch (Jung-gu) opened, and the program will continue to expand.

Future Plans

With this award as a stepping stone, the city plans to:

• ●Discover sustainable jobs in future industries,

• ●Expand youth employment through industry-academia cooperation and startup support, and

• ●Strengthen customized job opportunities for vulnerable groups, such as seniors, people with disabilities, and non-regular workers, to realize a “Busan without job insecurity.”

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This award is a valuable achievement accomplished together by the city, local companies, and citizens. Going forward, we will make the creation of quality jobs that citizens can truly feel as our top priority, realize a Busan without job insecurity, and establish Busan as a leading city for sustainable employment.”