Jobs for youth

Can’t Korea

come up with

more ‘creative’ solutions?

Youth unemployment is not a problem that has just recently started. Nor is it unique to Korea: the ubiquitous presence of jobless youngsters across the world has given them the

abominable

label ``the jobless generation.”

Nevertheless, Wednesday’s job report was a rude awakener that reaffirmed the seriousness of the problem. The employment rate of people aged between 15 and 29 stood at 39.2 percent last year, the lowest level since the government first began collecting relevant data in 1982 and even lower than the level of the 1997-98 financial crisis.

Unfortunately, the situation is not expected to improve much this year, either. Recruitment officers of the nation’s 30 largest business groups say they will freeze or even reduce new hiring in 2014, citing sharply rising labor costs resulting from ``employment risks” such as a recent Supreme Court ruling on expanding the scope of ordinary wages, the extended retirement age and shorter working hours.

It was natural therefore that related officials hurriedly convened an inter-agency meeting Thursday, and decided to go all out to raise the youth employment rate as the core agenda of its three-year economic plan.

This is a welcome, albeit

belated

, move if for no other reason than finding jobs for the younger generation is

crucial

in realizing President Park Geun-hye new economic slogan of ``4-7-4” _ 4-percent economic growth, a 70-precent employment rate and $40,000 in per capita income _ similar to Lee Myung-bak’s ``7-4-7,” and created by only lowering the growth target from 7 percent to 4 percent, and replacing Lee’s bluff to join the G7 with a more realistic employment rate.

Yet even the lowered objective will prove to be extremely difficult _ almost impossible _ for Park and her economic team to achieve. To hit their employment goal of 70 percent, the economy has to grow by at least 5 percent a year, way above the government’s own goal of 3.9 percent. To avoid the failures of her predecessor, President Park is advised to drop the numerical targets but start by practicing another catchphrase of hers _ normalizing the abnormal _ in economic administration.

For instance, Seoul needs to break away from statistical fiction. Korea’s jobless rate of 3 percent is the lowest in the OECD, and the nation’s youth unemployment rate of 8 percent is almost enviable in comparison with some south European countries’ 30-40 percent and with the U.S.’ 12 percent. But the nation’s overall jobless rate goes up much higher if it applies the same standards as the Western countries do, and it should calculate the youth unemployment rate by pulling down the upper limit of the age in this group to 24 years as most countries do, instead of 29.

Trivial as it may seem, the government should start by not deceiving itself and the people with massaged figures. Likewise, it ought to stop providing low-quality, temporary jobs to meet target numbers, and find ways to create jobs that better alleviate economic polarization and guarantee sustainable growth.

To solve the ``mismatch” between the abundance of idle youth and manpower shortage at smaller firms, for instance, the government should seek ways to reduce the wage gap between large and small companies, and encourage big businesses to hire workers with experience at smaller firms. To induce business startups by young entrepreneurs, it also ought to expand the social safety net to make them less afraid of failure.

Again, substance _ not ostensible figures _ should be in the minds of officials on the task force to tackle this

urgent

matter.

※ 다음에 나오는 문제들은 본 사설에 나오는 중요한 어휘들로 구성된 토익, 토플, 텝스 기출 및 예상 문제입니다.

※ Choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the highlighted part or fill in the blank with a suitable one.

1. Washington has promised to come up with $270 million in new aid.

① overtake

② keep up with

③ offer

④ make use of

2.They found the music abominable.

① beautiful

② detestable

③ fantastic

④ deserving

3. Illustrations of this sort could be multiplied by reference to the belated identification of uranium fission.

① beloved

② tardy

③ related

④ famous

4. Before preparing for tomorrow's party, I have some more imperative matters to attend to, such as finishing my report.

① obstinate

② superfluous

③ pushing

④ urgent

5. The scientist had to exercise great care at that crucial stage of his experiment.

① critical

② final

③ initial

④ scientific

[해설 및 정답]

1. [번역] 워싱턴(미국의 초대대통령)은 새로운 원조금으로 2억 7천만 달러를 내놓기로 약속했다.

[정답] ③

2. [번역] 그들은 그 음악이 혐오스러운(역겨운) 것이라는 것을 알았다.

[정답] ②

3. [번역] 이러한 종류의 설명은 우라늄 분열에 관한 뒤늦게 확인된 것을 참조하여 다양해 질 수 있다.

4. [번역] 내일의 파티를 준비하기 전에, 나는 보고서를 끝내야 하는 일과 같은 정성을 들여야 할 몇 가지 보다 긴요한 문제들이 있다.

[정답] ④

5. [번역] 그 과학자는 그의 실험의 중대한 단계에서 엄청난 주의력을 발휘해야 했다.

[정답] ①