'AI Shock' Job Dashboard to Be Launched; Coal-Phaseout Regions to Be Designated as 'Special Zones' [Industrial Transition Employment Stability Plan]

The government will roll out a mid- to long-term plan to ease job disruptions caused by artificial intelligence transformation (AX) and green transformation (GX). It will build platforms such as a Korean-style Canary Dashboard, which will serve as an AI job dashboard by industry, and an Industrial Transition Job Map to establish an early warning system. It also plans to use policy tools for job transitions tied to the replacement of existing industries, including the designation of Just Transition Special Zones.
■ AI Employment Shock Dashboard to Be Launched
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) reported the plan at the National Policy Coordination Meeting held on the 10th at Government Complex Seoul. It is the first statutory basic plan since the relevant law was enacted. The plan focuses largely on easing employment shocks from AX and carbon reduction efforts. Before the transition, the government aims to prepare through constant monitoring. During the transition, it seeks to create jobs and protect income. After the transition, it plans to build a virtuous cycle in which results can be shared.
First, the government will develop and operate a Korean-style Canary Dashboard to analyze in real time how AI technology may affect employment. It will function as an AI job dashboard. The Canary Dashboard is an analytical tool released by Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab that tracks the impact of AI on jobs in real time. It was modeled after the canary once used in coal mines to detect toxic gas in advance. MOEL said it aims to begin operating the Korean-style Canary Dashboard as early as the second half of next year, and no later than 2028.
In this way, the government has decided to place major emphasis on constant monitoring in the new basic plan.
A MOEL official explained, "What many experts and people on the ground emphasized during the drafting of the basic plan was 'watching.'" The official added, "We need to quickly identify real changes in the labor market brought on by AI development, share them with society, and respond flexibly to weak points in policy and institutions."
Plans to publish an Industrial Transition Job Map are also in line with that approach. In addition, the government plans to conduct both medium- to long-term five-year assessments and short-term one-year assessments of industries at risk through ex ante employment impact evaluations. It will also establish a separate Industrial Transition Employment Stability Committee to tailor responses by sector.
Existing employment and labor policies, including the Tomorrow Learning Card, infrastructure improvements outside the Seoul metropolitan area, and the development of customized training programs, will also be actively used.
■ Coal-Phaseout Regions to Be Designated as 'Special Zones' ... Financial and Administrative Support
The government has also prepared job-related response measures and support policies for the green transition.
Regions facing high economic and employment risks from the phaseout of high-carbon energy industries such as coal will be preemptively designated as Just Transition Special Zones. Through this, the government plans to provide financial and policy support for employment stability and the development of new industries.
Germany has decided to provide up to 40 billion euros, or about 69.038 trillion won, by 2038 for infrastructure and new industry development in coal regions. The European Union (EU) has also allocated 5.5 billion euros, or about 94.871 trillion won, in the Just Transition Fund from 2021 to 2027 and is disbursing the budget to regions whose transition plans have been approved.
The government plans to enact a special law in the second half of this year to support workers at coal-fired power plants and affected areas, and to flesh out these support measures.
The government also expects jobs in manufacturing, construction, operations, and maintenance to grow during the green transition, including in solar and wind power. It will also devote policy capacity to training workers in the wind and power sectors to meet rising electricity demand driven by the spread of AI and advanced industries.
Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon said, "Our workplaces are now facing fundamental change, and employment stability during the transition is a national task that the entire country must address together." He added, "Together with relevant ministries, we will push sector-specific measures and review changes on the ground each year as we develop the plan with labor and management."
jhyuk@fnnews.com Kim Jun-hyuk Reporter