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Busan Metropolitan City Reports Increased Job Applications to Youth-Attractive Companies in 2024; Youth Recruitment to Expand Next Year

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency announced that they will hold the “2025 Busan Youth-Attractive Companies Performance Sharing Event” today (December 10) at 11:00 a.m. at Avani Central Busan, located in Munhyeon-dong, Nam-gu.

This event aims to share the one-year achievements of “Busan Youth-Attractive Companies,” a core component of the City’s youth employment policy, and to present policy directions for the coming year that will support the joint growth of local youth and companies.

The “Busan Youth-Attractive Company Discovery and Matching Support Project” identifies and selects companies preferred by young people—based on wage levels, income stability, job security, work–life balance, and other factors—and actively connects them with young talent. The program offers companies opportunities to secure skilled workers while providing young people with quality employment.

Ahead of the performance sharing event, the City conducted a satisfaction and performance survey of the 2025 Youth-Attractive Companies.

According to the survey results, 77.3 percent of respondents said the program had a positive impact on their recruitment image and corporate branding—the highest among all response categories. Additionally, 66.4 percent said the program contributed to fostering a youth-friendly work environment, leading to improvements in welfare, enhanced horizontal organizational culture, and other positive changes associated with youth-friendly practices.

These changes translated into increased appeal among young people, with 45.5 percent of companies reporting that they experienced an increase in job applications. This indicates heightened recognition of Youth-Attractive Companies and the establishment of a foundation for future youth employment expansion.

Furthermore, 78.2 percent of participating companies indicated plans to hire new employees in 2026, and among them, 91.8 percent expressed willingness to participate in the “Busan Youth Job-Matching Internship Program,” demonstrating both the expandability and sustainability of the policy.

Based on these survey results and the program’s growth this year, the City assessed that 2024 was a year in which both quantitative expansion and qualitative progress of the Youth-Attractive Company initiative were clearly demonstrated.

The City expanded the number of Youth-Attractive Companies from 100 in 2024 to 110 in 2025 and increased the number of Youth-Friendly Employers from 3 to 5, significantly boosting corporate participation and policy credibility.

A City official noted that Busan’s Youth-Attractive Company initiative—created as the first model of its kind nationwide—has made meaningful contributions to strengthening youth recruitment competitiveness and improving the structure of the employment market, establishing itself as a benchmark policy for local governments across the country.

Meanwhile, the performance sharing event will also feature case presentations from Youth-Friendly Employers.
KTE Co., Ltd. and Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., selected as Youth-Friendly Employers in 2024, will present their achievements using the “Good Workplace Support Fund” (KRW 40 million per company) to improve working environments, expand welfare programs, and enhance organizational culture.

These presentations are expected to promote the spread of youth-friendly corporate culture, provide tangible models for employment environment improvement, and enhance the real-world impact of the policy.

Going forward, beginning in 2026, the City will strengthen policy support to further enhance the quality and sustainability of the Youth-Attractive Company initiative and activate youth recruitment.

New initiatives include providing up to KRW 4.5 million per intern for three months under the condition of converting interns to full-time employment through the “Busan Youth Job-Matching Internship Program”; doubling the number of dedicated Youth-Attractive Company Managers from five to ten to strengthen close support; and expanding youth–company job matching through a large-scale job fair in the second half of 2026.

Kim Gwi-ok, Director of Youth and Industry-Academia Cooperation Bureau, stated, “These achievements were made possible thanks to the continuous efforts and dedication of our Youth-Attractive Companies, which have consistently pursued innovations that appeal to young people. Based on this year’s results and the needs of participating companies, the City will further advance the policy to build a solid employment ecosystem in Busan—one where youth and companies grow together.”