South Korea's 2026 subsidy for small and medium Korean enterprises hiring young adults aged 15–34 who face job-search hardship — combined employer + youth support up to 12M KRW (or 14.4M KRW in special-support non-metro regions).
| Youth age | Korean residents 15–34 (up to 39 with Korean military service credit) |
| Unemployment | ≥ 4 months unemployed at Korean hire date (waived for early-school-leavers, 자립준비청년, North Korean defectors, single-parent/disabled/head-of-household youth, etc.) |
| Employer | Korean priority-support SME with ≥ 5 employees (knowledge services, cultural content, renewable energy, youth startups allowed under 5) |
| Employment type | Open-ended Korean regular employment, ≥ 30 hrs/week, ≥ Korean monthly minimum wage |
| Excluded employers | Korean firms with wage defaults, major industrial accidents, or labor-law violations |
| Excluded youth | Korean CEO's spouse/direct relatives, or those who worked at the same Korean firm in the last 3 months |
| Type I (Standard) — Korean employer portion | Up to 3.6M KRW at 6 mo + 3.6M KRW at 12 mo = 7.2M KRW / year |
| Type I — Youth tenure incentive | Up to 4.8M KRW paid to Korean youth at 18/24 months |
| Type I Total | Up to 12M KRW combined (Korean employer + youth, 2 years) |
| Type II Non-metro Korea (standard) | 1.2M KRW × 4 (6/12/18/24 mo) = 4.8M KRW |
| Type II Non-metro (preferred region) | 1.5M KRW × 4 = 6.0M KRW |
| Type II Non-metro (special-support region) | 1.8M KRW × 4 = 7.2M KRW employer portion; combined with youth portion, up to 14.4M KRW |
| Guideline announcement | Jan 2026 Korean MOEL guideline |
| Korean employer application open | From Jan 26, 2026 on Work24 |
| Recognized Korean hires | After pre-approval — hires before approval generally excluded |
| Payment cycle | Split payouts at 6 / 12 / 18 / 24 months tenure |
Amounts, eligibility, and eligible industries change each Korean fiscal year. Verify on the official Korean sources below.
| Korea MOEL Customer Center | 1350 (paid) |
| Work24 Integrated Help | 1577-7114 |
| Your Korean employment center & operating agency | Find by region on Work24 |
This page summarizes Korea's Ministry of Employment & Labor 2026 Youth Job Leap Incentive guidelines and Work24 public information as of April 2026. Type-specific amounts, employer/youth eligibility, and payout timing can change with Korean annual guidelines and operating-agency review; the figures shown are estimates with no legal effect. Always confirm with your Korean operating agency, local Korean employment center, and Work24 official notices before acting. Hires made before Korean pre-approval may be excluded, so follow the Korean procedure before hiring. The operator of this page is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of this content. This program applies exclusively to Korean SMEs and Korean-resident youth.
The Youth Job Leap Incentive (청년일자리도약장려금) is a South Korean Ministry of Employment & Labor subsidy that helps priority-support Korean SMEs hire and retain young adults aged 15–34 (up to 39 with Korean military service credit) who face job-search hardship. In 2026 the program was restructured into Type I (standard) and Type II (non-metro Korea), with Type II absorbing portions of the former Job Filling Youth Allowance. Type I pays the Korean employer up to 7.2M KRW at 6/12 months and the Korean youth an additional 4.8M KRW at 18/24 months — up to 12M KRW combined. Type II applies across industries to Korean non-metro SMEs: 4.8M / 6.0M / 7.2M KRW employer portions (standard / preferred / special-support regions) plus the Korean youth portion, for up to 14.4M KRW. Korean employers apply first on Work24 (work24.go.kr) from Jan 26, 2026.
Per Korea's 2026 MOEL guideline, the Job Filling Youth Allowance's direct-to-youth function is folded into the Youth Job Leap Incentive Type II (non-metro). Coverage now extends beyond shortage industries to any Korean non-metro SME. Check your eligible Korean type on Work24.
The Korean employer must first apply and be approved on Work24. After the Korean youth is hired and reaches 6 months of tenure, the employer portion is paid; then within 2 months the Korean youth applies directly on Work24 for the youth portion. Hires made before Korean pre-approval are usually excluded.
No. Only Korean open-ended regular employment with ≥ 30 hrs/week and ≥ monthly minimum wage qualifies. Contract, intern, and dispatched Korean workers are excluded.
The 4-month rule is waived for Korean hardship youth — e.g., those with high-school education or less, 자립준비청년, North Korean defectors, single-parent / disabled / female head-of-household Korean youth. Confirm your Korean status with the operating agency or Work24.
Among Korea's 89 population-decline municipalities, Korean MOEL designates the special-support list each year. Check the 2026 designated list in Korean MOEL press releases or the 2026 guideline.
Other Korean government labor-cost subsidies for the same youth (e.g., National Employment Support job-success bonus) are generally restricted. Parallel use with Korean asset-formation programs such as 청년내일채움공제 is often allowed — check the current Korean guideline.
South Korea's 2026 Youth Job Leap Incentive (청년일자리도약장려금), run by the Korean Ministry of Employment & Labor, subsidizes priority-support Korean small and medium enterprises that hire and retain Korean youth aged 15–34 (up to 39 with military service credit) facing job-search hardship. Type I pays Korean employers up to 7.2M KRW across 6 and 12 months, plus up to 4.8M KRW to the Korean youth at 18/24 months — up to 12M KRW combined over 2 years. Type II is a new 2026 track for Korean non-metro SMEs covering all industries: employer payouts of 4.8M / 6.0M / 7.2M KRW over 4 milestones (standard / preferred / special-support Korean regions) plus the Korean youth portion, for up to 14.4M KRW. Functions from the older Job Filling Youth Allowance are also folded in. Korean employers apply on Work24 (work24.go.kr) from January 26, 2026; hires made before Korean pre-approval are excluded. Payouts are split across 6/12/18/24-month Korean tenure milestones. Verify the latest rules on Work24, Korean MOEL notices, gov.kr, or hotline 1350. This program applies exclusively to Korean SMEs and Korean-resident youth in the Republic of Korea.