Youth-Friendly Strong SME (Youth Job Strong Company) Selection — Eligibility, Disqualification Criteria, Documents and Benefits

Procedure

1. 1. Check the notice for the year and the eligibility

   The application notice is usually published in August and accepts applications for the following year's selection. The notice for the 2026 selection covered priority support enterprises or small and medium enterprises whose employment insurance was established on or before December 31, 2022, and each company could file only 1 application under the head office business registration number. The employment insurance establishment date and whether already selected companies may reapply are checked again in the wording of each year's notice.

2. 2. Check the disqualification criteria and basic criteria

   Companies whose names have been disclosed for unpaid wages, companies with a fatal industrial accident, companies whose credit rating falls below the notice standard, companies belonging to a business group subject to limitations on mutual investment, and public enterprises are excluded from selection. Industries excluded by the notice, such as consumption and entertainment businesses, employment placement businesses and labor supply businesses, and the minimum number of workers by industry are also checked. Disqualification is judged by the reference date and period stated in the notice, so any history of unpaid wages or industrial accidents and the reference year of the financial statements are organized first.

3. 3. Organize materials to match the evaluation indicators

   Companies that meet the basic criteria are evaluated on work-life balance (flexible work, leaving on time, leave and childcare support), wages (starting pay, performance bonuses and welfare), employment stability (share of regular and young workers, hiring retention and growth rate) and innovation capacity (certifications, awards, intellectual property, workplace harassment prevention training). Internal rules without actual operating records are hard to recognize as points, so records of system use, wage data and certificates or award evidence are grouped by indicator.

4. 4. Apply online on the application website

   Applications are filed online on the Youth Job Strong Company application website, uploading the evidence files required by the notice and the application manual. The program operator (the selection office of the Korea Venture Business Association for the 2026 selection) handles intake, and submissions are not possible after the deadline time, so the application is completed a few days before the deadline.

5. 5. Respond to the document review and on-site inspection, and the selection announcement

   For the 2026 selection, disqualification checks and document review took place in September to October, on-site inspections in October to November and selection committee deliberation in December, with results announced at the end of December. The on-site inspection checks whether the systems and records stated in the application are actually operated, so the application entries, evidence and internal rules are cross-checked for consistency before the inspection.

Required documents

• Youth Job Strong Company online application form (completed electronically on the application website; a program run by public notice with no statutory form)
• Business registration certificate (head office) and materials confirming small and medium enterprise or priority support enterprise status, such as an SME confirmation certificate
• Materials confirming the number of workers, such as the employment insurance establishment and insured persons status
• Financial statements for the reference year set by the notice (for checking the credit rating)
• Rules of employment, internal rules and records of use of flexible work, leave and childcare support systems
• Materials confirming starting pay, performance bonuses and welfare, such as the wage ledger
• Evidence of certifications, awards and intellectual property, and records of workplace harassment prevention training
• Other evidence files required by the application manual for the year

Fees

Generally in the range of several hundred thousand won in the industry; quoted after consultation depending on the scope of the disqualification check, the volume of evidence to organize by evaluation indicator and whether on-site inspection preparation is needed.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Framework Act on Employment Policy, Article 6
• Framework Act on Employment Policy, Article 15
• Framework Act on Employment Policy, Article 29
• Special Act on the Promotion of Youth Employment, Article 7
• Ministry of Employment and Labor and Ministry of SMEs and Startups, 2026 Youth Job Strong Company application notice

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-13

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• The minimum number of workers, the credit rating standard and the period for disqualification may change with each notice, so they are checked in the wording of the notice for the year of application rather than past notices or the standards of another year.
• The systems and records stated in the application are checked for actual operation during the on-site inspection, so systems that are not operated are not entered.

Frequently asked questions