Choi Seung-kyu, 63, spent 35 years as a secondary school teacher. After retiring, Choi trained in air-conditioner installation and maintenance and landed a permanent job in the disaster-prevention control room of a department store. "Since going back to work, I feel reconnected to society and have a sense of belonging and self-respect that I am still needed," Choi said. Park Jung-yeon, 46, worked 15 years in hospital administration before opening a cafe, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Park learned how to disassemble and clean air conditioners and has since started a successful new business. "When I finish a job and see myself after a hard day's work, I feel a real sense of accomplishment," Park said.
The two shared their experiences at a talk concert during the Seoul Mid-Career Job Fair 2026, held on the 20th at the aT Center in Seoul's Seocho District. Both found new work after completing vocational training at the Seoul Mid-Career Job Academy.
Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul50plus Foundation, the fair marked its fourth annual edition this year after launching in 2023. A total of 70 employers and partner organizations took part. The venue was divided into six halls, including one for companies with strong records of hiring mid-career workers, a jobs hall, a career-planning hall and a hall for industries catering to middle-aged and older adults. In the jobs hall, Kyowon Kumon, Yuhan Health Life, Spacefit and KR Engineering held hiring consultations and on-site interviews for a range of positions, including home-visit tutors, beauty marketers, platform managers for interior design operations, and ship design and supervision. The fair also offered guidance on writing job applications and one-on-one employment consulting.
A job-experience zone let visitors try actual tasks such as wiring circuits for the electrical technician certification, high-pressure cleaning of air conditioners, and reading X-ray images for aviation baggage screening. There was also a demonstration of stand-up forklifts used at logistics sites. The industry hall, introduced for the first time this year, featured Shinhan Bank, Daesang Wellife, Daekyo New If Plus and Roche Korea, which provided information on finance and pensions, health and care services, and leisure and culture for middle-aged and older residents.
The city is supporting reemployment and career transitions for middle-aged workers because of the wide gap between the experience job seekers have built up and the roles employers need to fill. The issue was also raised as a key challenge at the Seoul Mid-Career Policy Forum 2026, hosted by the Seoul50plus Foundation on Sept. 15 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul's Jung District.
Choi Young-sup, a professor at Korea University of Technology and Education, said the core problem is not a simple shortage of jobs but a mismatch between workers' careers and market demand, and called for identifying new roles that draw on existing experience along with tailored training. Song Min-hye, a senior researcher on the foundation's policy research team, said 94.3% of middle-aged job seekers want to work in the district where they live, while 61.3% of employers struggling to fill positions cited not only mismatched working conditions but also an inability to find applicants with the right qualifications and experience. Song proposed identifying "intermediate roles" that allow workers to add new skills to an existing career.
That thinking is behind the city's launch of the Mid-Career Job Academy in March. Run by the Seoul50plus Foundation at five campuses in the western, central, southern, northern and eastern parts of the city, the academy provides everything from career assessment and vocational training to job placement and start-up support. Its focus is practical, employer-driven instruction that helps middle-aged participants build on past careers or learn new skills to find work.
The city and the foundation plan to expand the academy to all 25 autonomous districts and to continue connecting job seekers with the employers that took part in the fair. "Our job is to widen the chances for reemployment and to make sure long careers can shine in new workplaces," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. "We will keep providing solid support so that the efforts and challenges taken on by our middle-aged residents lead to actual jobs and better lives."
At the opening ceremony, four organizations received commendations from the mayor for helping spread hiring practices that include middle-aged workers: KFC Korea, the industry-academia cooperation foundation of Korea Polytechnic I College, KTcs and Hyundai Greenfood. KFC Korea was recognized for expanding mid-career hiring and converting workers to permanent status, and KTcs for hiring counseling staff who draw on their earlier careers.
