Vice Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon on Friday pledged to encourage the hiring of high school graduates, emphasizing the importance of skills over educational background.

Speaking to workers at a data recovery firm in Ochang, about 120 kilometers south of Seoul, Lee said the public sector will lead by example and employ high school graduates to remove the barriers of academic background.

"In the future, one's own future will be determined not by level of education but by abilities," he said.

Lee also vowed to strengthen ties between schools, firms and hiring centers to improve the chances of employment of high school graduates.

The data recovery firm was chosen as a model company for Lee to visit because more than 30 percent of its staff are high school graduates, including the company's chief. (Yonhap)