Health ministry says senior programs created 7.12 billion won in social value

The health ministry said that 10 senior employment projects generated 7.12 billion won ($5.03 million) in social value in 2025, helping tackle local care and environmental needs.

The projects received 5.55 billion won ($3.92 million) in funding. An outside specialist put their social return at 128.3 percent of the investment.

Employment-related income gains for older people accounted for 59.4 percent, or 4.23 billion won ($2.99 million), of assessed value. Care and education services for older people and children generated 2.82 billion won ($2 million).

The projects include programs that pass Korean cooking skills from older people to rural immigrant women and upcycle coffee grounds into deodorizers for vulnerable local residents.

Among the care models, the grandparent-grandchild care program, which provides children in care-vulnerable families with care during school drop-off and pickup times, generated the most social value at 3.42 billion won ($2.41 million). LH's care service for people aged 80 or older living alone in metropolitan rental housing followed at 2.81 billion won ($1.99 million). The senior cooking program had the highest social return at 287.5 percent of its budget, while the coffee-ground upcycling project recorded 177 percent.

"This social-performance assessment allowed us to objectively confirm that senior jobs go beyond simple income support to create diverse social value, including closing community care gaps and improving the environment," Choi Bong-geun, the health ministry's senior policy director, said.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to develop successful projects into standard models and support their wider adoption in local communities. It also plans to expand jobs linking local demand with the expertise of newer generations of older people.