CHANGWON — The number of older residents in South Gyeongsang Province working in jobs that draw on their careers and professional expertise rose 28.2% in a single year. The province is funding about 80,000 senior jobs this year at a cost of 345.6 billion won ($247 million).
South Gyeongsang Province said on the 13th that it is expanding employment programs for older residents in response to the region's entry into a super-aged society and the movement of baby boomers into old age. As of the end of August 2026, the province had 776,375 residents aged 65 and over, of whom 80,437 were taking part in the programs. The participation rate as a share of the senior population climbed to 10.4% at the end of August from 9.6% in 2024 and 10.0% in 2025.
Funding for this year totals 345.6 billion won, including 162.9 billion won from the central government, 55 billion won from the province and 127.7 billion won from cities and counties. By category, 60,079 people are in public-interest activities, 14,044 in skill-based work, 4,267 in community business units and 2,047 in employment support — a combined increase of 5,677, or 7.6%, from the same month a year earlier. Skill-based work posted the largest gain, up 3,086 people, or 28.2%. A total of 98 participating organizations in the province run 1,055 programs.
To supplement participants' incomes, the province provides an additional payment on top of the public-interest activity allowance. South Gyeongsang said it was the first metropolitan-level government to introduce the measure last year. This year it has again allocated 6.6 billion won to pay up to an extra 10,000 won a month to about 55,000 people.
A provincial pilot model run in partnership with public institutions and private companies covers three programs with 60 participants. Under the Housing Energy Guardian program, older workers inspect and replace aging lighting and electrical outlets at 400 low-income households in Changwon, Jinju and Gimhae, in cooperation with Korea South-East Power and the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged. The program is budgeted at 184 million won. A second program, Barrier-Free Culture Companion, has older residents help people with visual and hearing impairments watch films and produce alternative-format materials. The province said it was the first such program in the country.
New positions are identified through a program that provides seed funding for senior business development. This year, 540 million won has been set aside to help participating organizations plan and develop programs tailored to their localities. The province is also expanding jobs linked to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's integrated care initiative, and will extend side-dish support for senior centers to all parts of the province next year.
"We will secure 100,000 jobs by 2030 and continue to develop quality positions by broadening the scope of activity into integrated care, public services and the private sector," said Ahn Jung-sook, director of the provincial senior policy division.