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6-6 · Business certifications & designations

Youth-Friendly SME (Youth Job Strong SME) Selection Application Documents

The Youth-Friendly SME program has been run jointly by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups under the name 'Youth Job Strong SME' from the 2026 selection round. There is no statutory selection provision; each year's application notice sets the eligible applicants, disqualification criteria and evaluation indicators. Eligible applicants are priority support enterprises under the Employment Insurance Act or SMEs under the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises whose employment insurance was established before the reference date set in the notice, and applications for the following year's round are usually accepted online through the application website in the second half of the year. Companies whose names were disclosed as wage-arrears employers under Article 43-2 of the Labor Standards Act, companies with a fatal industrial accident, companies below the credit rating set in the notice, companies belonging to a business group subject to cross-shareholding restrictions, and public enterprises are excluded. After submission, the program goes through disqualification checks, document review, on-site inspection and selection committee deliberation, with results announced at the end of the year.

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#Youth-Friendly SME (Youth Job Strong SME) Selection Application Documents#Official check#6-6
🌐 Youth-Friendly Strong SME (Youth Job Strong Company) Selection
01

Procedure

Procedure

  1. 01

    Check the notice and eligibility: Confirm in that year's notice whether the company qualifies as a priority support enterprise or SME and the employment insurance establishment reference date. Also check in the notice whether only one application per company is allowed under the head office business registration number and whether previously selected companies may reapply.

  2. 02

    Review disqualification and basic requirements: Compare wage-arrears name disclosure, fatal industrial accidents, the credit rating standard, excluded industries (entertainment businesses, employment placement, labor supply, etc.) and the minimum number of workers by industry against the notice's reference dates and periods. Organize wage-arrears and industrial accident history and the financial statement reference year first.

  3. 03

    Organize materials by evaluation indicator: For each indicator (work-life balance such as flexible work, leaving on time, leave and childcare support; wages such as starting pay, bonuses and benefits; employment stability such as regular and youth employee ratios and hiring retention or growth; innovation such as certifications, awards and intellectual property), bundle the program usage logs and evidence. Policies that exist only on paper without usage records are hard to score, so usage records are gathered as well.

  4. 04

    Prepare the online application: Fill in the company profile and indicator results according to the application website form and arrange the evidence files required by the application manual in indicator order. Submissions are not accepted after the deadline, so the schedule is set so the company can finish submitting several days before the deadline.

  5. 05

    Supplement during document review and prepare for on-site inspection: If a supplement request comes during document review, supplementary materials are prepared. The on-site inspection checks whether the policies and results stated in the application are actually in operation, so internal rules, program usage logs and original wage records are aligned with the application.

02

Filing route

Filing route

Youth Job Strong SME application website (online; received by the program operator's selection secretariat)

Confirm the current filing office, jurisdiction, and online availability on the official website.

Official check
Actual processing agencyCompetent Korean authority or official service
Statutory and policy authorityMinistry of Employment and Labor · Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Online routeCompetent Korean authority or official service · Employment24
03

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Check deadlines and next steps against the notice, filing date, and any request for additional documents.Official check
04

Basic documents

Basic documents

Basic documents0 / 8

The disqualification period, minimum number of workers and credit rating standard change with each notice, so preparing based on last year's notice can get the company excluded at the disqualification check stage.

Scope of services

Scope of services

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office prepares and translates documents for administrative agencies, submits them on your behalf, and guides you through permit, application, and notification procedures. Services that require the principal’s personal appearance, principal’s application, or electronic signature may be limited in delegation.