Labor ministry unveils first employment-center overhaul in 30 years

The labor ministry said Thursday it will overhaul 102 employment centers, transferring repetitive administrative work to artificial intelligence so staff can focus on counseling job seekers and matching them with employers.

The National Employment Service Innovation Plan, the first overhaul in 30 years, would shift the centers from benefits-payment administration to counseling-led services supporting workers throughout their careers.

“The 102 employment centers nationwide are where the right of all citizens to work, guaranteed by Article 32 of the Constitution, is put into practice,” Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said.

Rapid advances in AI and industrial restructuring have weakened lifetime employment, while demographic change has deepened labor-market mismatches. The centers provide job-matching services to more than 2 million job seekers and businesses each year, while staff responsible for unemployment benefits process more than 70 cases a day on average.

A personal AI employment center for job seekers would analyze survey responses and career histories, classify users by the level of support they need, and recommend and process tailored services in one place. It would also standardize and automate checks on job-search activity for unemployment-benefit recipients and National Employment Support Program participants. Under a new mileage program, job seekers would earn points for carrying out job-search activities, with payments automatically made when they meet their targets. Job seekers needing extra help would receive one-on-one counseling from a case manager, including support with job placement and later career development.

A one-stop hiring service would use job-posting and employment data, alongside industrial-complex visits, to identify firms struggling to recruit and diagnose their difficulties. It would help businesses write job advertisements or connect them with aid to improve wages, working hours and workplace conditions.

In a May AI service pilot at Daejeon Employment Center, 86.8 percent of National Employment Support Program participants responded positively, and average counseling time per participant rose to 73.8 minutes from 18 minutes.

The ministry plans task-specific pilots of the job-seeker AI center and a one-stop hiring service for employers in the second half of 2026. It will designate employment-service innovation pilot centers for integrated trials from 2027.