Updated
Updated · asiae.co.kr · Aug 20
Gwangmyeong Wins 3rd Straight Jobs Award After Creating 17,549 Positions
Updated
Updated · asiae.co.kr · Aug 20

Gwangmyeong Wins 3rd Straight Jobs Award After Creating 17,549 Positions

1 articles · Updated · asiae.co.kr · Aug 20

Summary

  • Gwangmyeong City said it received the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s excellence award for a third consecutive year in the local government employment-target category.
  • 17,549 jobs were created last year, 19% above the city’s 14,724 target, while key indicators hit records including a 60.2% female employment rate and 152,300 employed residents.
  • 108 employment programs underpinned the result, tying urban development and industrial change to hiring through customized job services, SME support, future-industry projects and ESG-based jobs.
  • The city also expanded targeted support for women, youth, mid-career workers, seniors and people with disabilities, while its startup and employment project ranked first in Gyeonggi for two straight years.
  • Broader momentum has reinforced the jobs push: Gwangmyeong ranked first in Gyeonggi in 2025 for population growth at 5.67% and net youth migration at 9.6%.

Insights

Are Gwangmyeong's thousands of new jobs truly sustainable, or just a temporary byproduct of aggressive urban expansion?
How did a city south of Seoul shatter job targets while rapidly transforming into a futuristic autonomous vehicle hub?