0
Noh Yong-seok, Acting Minister of SMEs and Startups.

The "5th Basic Plan for SME Workforce Support (2026–2030)" has been established to serve as a milestone for small and medium enterprise workforce policy over the next five years amid the era of artificial intelligence transformation (AX). The plan aims to simultaneously resolve the youth job shortage and recruiting difficulties at regional SMEs, while cultivating tailored talent on a large scale to drive AI innovation across manufacturing sites.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups established and announced on the 4th the five-year basic plan containing these measures. The plan is centered on three major strategies: nurturing AI talent tailored to on-site demand, improving working environments, and resolving job mismatches.

The government will expand practical personnel developing manufacturing AI solutions to 1,600 next year and extend employment internship periods to 12 months. In 2027, it will establish the "Manufacturing AI Fellow Training Program" to pursue specialized AX education in partnership with the four major science and technology institutes, including the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Program graduates will be supported with microdegrees and employment linkage.

In addition, the ministry plans to expand AI-specialized contract departments to 30 by 2030 and establish a Manufacturing AI Training Center in 2026 to provide practice-oriented AI training to 10,000 incumbent workers annually.

The proportion of research personnel recruitment support allocated to non-metropolitan companies will be raised to 60%, and a "preferential track for regional SME employees" within the Youth Future Savings Account will be newly established starting in 2027. Raising the Youth Employment Leap Grant for young people employed outside the Seoul metropolitan area is also being pursued.

The mandatory scope of reemployment support services for middle-aged and older workers will be phased in to cover workplaces with 300 or more employees by 2029, while financial assistance for preventing industrial accidents at small workplaces with fewer than 10 employees will increase up to 90%.

To strengthen matchmaking between job seekers and recruiters, SME Workforce Support Centers will be doubled to 34 locations, and a tentatively named "Youth Playground" will be created for young people seeking employment and launching startups.

Furthermore, new SME training institutes will open in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province (semiconductors and aerospace) and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province (future mobility and cultural content) in 2027 to produce talent tailored to regional industrial needs.

Noh Yong-seok, Acting Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, "I hope this five-year plan will serve as an opportunity for a major transformation for SMEs into places that talent seeks out and where they can grow. We will spare no necessary support in cooperation with related ministries."

                                                                                                               Oh Se-eun