KIHASA has published Health and Welfare Issue and Focus, No. 431, "Recent Changes in the Industrial and Occupational Charactersitics of Social Service Jobs." The lead researcher of the research this brief recapitulates is Dr. Ahn, Soo-Ran, head of the Center for Social Services Research at KIHASA.

According to Dr. Ahn, social service jobs have since the mid-2000s held the spotlight as a policy tool to tackle the challenge of jobless growth as growth slowed and unemployment and employment insecurity remained high. She said Korea's social service sector is likely to grow further as the current government has placed on its national agenda a large number of policy items concerning social service jobs in the care and health industry. Since achieving such government goals requires a further ramp-up of the workforce who would provide users with in-person services, the attention fastened on social service jobs is likely to remain strong in the years to come, she said.

There has been a critical view, according to her, that the government's social service job policy has mostly produced low-quality jobs as it has been mainly focused on 'industrializing social services' and 'creating jobs.' Ahn reiterated that the government should pay more attention to expanding quality social service jobs."

Click here for the English translation of this issue.