The new South Korean government would place increased hiring as top economic and social agenda during its term, said Kim Jin-pyo, chief a presidential advisory committee in charge of drawing up the roadmap for public policies for the next five years under President Moon Jae-in.

“Changing the current economic structure fixated for growth without hiring won’t be easy. If we do it over the next three years, it could be a big success,” said Kim on Wednesday.

Kim, who had been the first deputy prime minister in charge of the economy under former President Roh Moo-hyun, was named to head the advisory commission on state affairs by Moon who was Roh’s chief of staff.

The commission was launched on Monday to help the new Moon Jae-in administration map out overall policy design and direction for the next five years. It will announce a specified action plan within the next 70 days. It is comprised of six departments including planning, economy 1, economy 2, society, politics and administration, and diplomacy and security.

Kim urged the new government to put top priority on job creation during a briefing session of the economy 1 department in Seoul. He added that the government should promote mutual growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies by increasing investment in SMEs, nurture new growth engines amid the so-called fourth industrial revolution and foster software and service industries.

He demanded that ways to create an extra budget to finance new hiring should come first.

Lee Han-joo, director of the economy 1 division of the commission, said during the briefing session that the president aims growth in income, decent jobs, balanced prosperity of large and smaller companies, and new growth engines for the new digitalization and automation age. They will be at the center of the new government’s policy direction for the next five years, he added.

By Kang Gye-man

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]