From 35 years in teaching to a department store job ... Seoul expands reemployment support for middle-aged and older adults

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a support program linking corporate recruitment with vocational training for middle-aged and older adults seeking new jobs beyond their previous careers. The city said on the 20th that it had held the ‘2026 Middle-Aged and Older Adult Job Fair’ at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, with 70 companies and related organizations taking part. The event allowed job seekers to meet hiring managers in person for consultations or interviews, and provided information on vocational training and career planning.
KyoWon Kumon, Yuhan Health Life, Spacefit and KR Engineering were among the participants, offering job opportunities in a range of fields, from home-visit learning-material instructors and beauty marketing to interior design platform operations and ship design and supervision. Resume-writing guidance and one-on-one employment consultations were also offered.
The venue featured six zones, including a pavilion for companies with strong hiring records, a jobs pavilion, a ‘Tomorrow Planning’ pavilion and a middle-aged-friendly industries pavilion. Job seekers could try hands-on tasks such as wiring electrical circuits, high-pressure air-conditioner cleaning and aviation baggage security screening, and watch demonstrations of forklift operations used in logistics settings.
The middle-aged-friendly industries pavilion, newly introduced this year, featured Shinhan Bank, Daesang Wellife and Daekyo Newif Plus, among others, and provided information not only on reemployment but also on retirement financial planning, health management and care services.
The event also highlighted people who had started a new chapter in life through the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s vocational training programs. Choi Seung-gyu, who worked as a secondary school teacher for 35 years, found a full-time job in a department store’s fire safety control room after completing training in air-conditioner installation and maintenance. Park Jeong-yeon, who worked in hospital administration for 15 years and later opened a cafe that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, shared the experience of learning air-conditioner disassembly and cleaning skills and trying again to start a business.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government also presented mayoral commendations to four companies and organizations that helped expand hiring of middle-aged and older adults: KFC Korea, the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Korea Polytechnics I College, KTcs and Hyundai Green Food.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to continue matching job seekers with companies after the event through the Middle-Aged Employment Academy, run by the Seoul 50 Plus Foundation.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “It is the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s job to expand reemployment opportunities and help long careers shine in new jobs,” adding, “We will continue to provide strong support so that the efforts and challenges of middle-aged and older residents lead to actual employment and better lives.”
[email protected] Seong Chorong Reporter