1. Research Objectives and Methods

❚ Research Objectives

￮ A local job center scheme is emerging to address rural areas experiencing labor shortages due to population decline and aging.This scheme aims to alleviate rural labor shortages and create jobs that promote urban-rural coexistence by identifying idle workers residing both within and outside the region, including urban areas, and by providing administrative and financial support linked to agricultural employment. 

￮ This study aims to assess the performance and limitations of seven local job centers currently operating in Jeonbuk State in order to address weaknesses in employment services. It also seeks to propose future directions for sustainable operation and recommend measures for improvement.

❚ Research Methods

￮ To examine the operational performance of the local job centers, this study conducted a survey of job seekers and recruiters participating in the project to assess employment outcomes and patterns of center utilization. In addition, a separate survey targeted local job center managers in each city and county to examine their responsibilities and current promotional activities, as well as to collect their perspectives on project performance, challenges, and potential improvement measures.  

￮ These surveys employed structured questionnaires and targeted 700 local job center users (100 respondents per center) and 15 local job center staff members. Data collection took place over a 21-day period from August 22 to September 11, 2025.

2. Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

❚ Conclusion

￮ The Jeonbuk Local Job Center, as a leading institution providing employment services, contributes to the revitalization of local employment. User satisfaction and trust levels among both job seekers and recruiters were relatively high, indicating a sustained demand for services even after employment and recruitment were achieved.

￮ The operational challenges of the local job centers were categorized into policy promotion, support systems, business details, and business operations. Based on these analyses, the study identified several strategic directions for center operations, including ensuring the sustainability of policy implementation, improving the efficiency of support systems, creating policy synergies, and enhancing demand-driven flexibility in business operations. 

❚ Policy Recommendations

￮ Guided by the vision of establishing a locally dedicated employment safety net that supports provincial residents in securing satisfactory jobs, the study proposes four major strategies and eight implementation tasks aligned with the operational directions of the local job centers:sustainability, efficiency, connectivity, and on-site relevance.    

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