Banks organize matchmaking events to tackle low birthrates
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Commercial lenders are rushing to organize matchmaking events to help single employees find dates and possibly tie the knot, in a bid to help boost the ultra-low birthrate, industry officials said Monday.
KB Kookmin, Hana and Woori will hold a joint matchmaking event at Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on April 26.
A total of 30 – five men and five women from each of the three firms — will join the event. They will submit self-introductions by Tuesday.
They will disclose their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) results, a self-report questionnaire that makes pseudoscientific claims to categorize individuals into 16 distinct “psychological types” or “personality types.” Leisure activities they do for fun and reasons for applying can also be included.
They will participate in bank-organized activities that involve meals, dates and group recreational exercises.
The event is gaining popularity among the bank's employees, according to a Hana official.
“Before the 52-hour workweek took effect, many became couples after spending well over 12 hours at the branch every day,” he said. “Employees had to come to work before 7 a.m., and stayed late into the night quite often.”
Also helpful is the participants having a shared understanding of the finance industry.
“They are more likely to understand each other better than, say, employees in manufacturing or other industries,” the official said.
A Woori Bank official also said more young couples means a higher likelihood of marriages and childbirth, adding that this will contribute to tackling the nation's low birthrate.
Hana had a similar in-house event last November at the suggestion of Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo.
This was a continuation of the lender’s efforts to boost the low birthrate, as illustrated by the firm’s union passing a motion to provide 1 million won ($682) in cash to unmarried employees aged 35 and older in the form of “get-married money.”
The event titled “Love? What is that?” was held from Nov. 27 to 30 in southern Seoul.
A total of 20 single Hana employees attended the event which featured personality tests for fun and wine tastings. Their seating arrangements were outlined based on who they had previously voted for as who they would like to seek a romantic relationship with, similar to the format of the popular TV show "I'm Solo.”
Shinhan Bank will not join the event, since it already has a similar widely popular program “Super Solo.”