The South Pyongan province people’s committee conducted a study on youth unemployment and briefed the Central Committee on ways to address the problem.
A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK recently that provincial officials had voluntarily drafted and submitted a report titled “A General Survey of Youth Unemployment and Potential Solutions” to the Cabinet and the Central Committee in mid-June.
The source said the report, which was mostly written by the labor bureau at the provincial people’s committee, detailed a sharp drop in employment among the province’s young people (ages 18 to 30) in the first half of the year, as well as a big increase in the number of unproductive workers waiting for work assignments.
When the labor bureau counted employment figures for about 3,200 high school and university graduates of both sexes in the province, it found that 2,200 had either not been assigned to a workplace or had left their workplace and were making money privately.
In the report, the labor bureau argued that youth unemployment shouldn’t be blamed entirely on lack of motivation and ideological problems, but instead required a closer look at young people’s circumstances and their working conditions and environment. The bureau also frankly acknowledged that many people are expected to work without even receiving any rations.
Improving the situation without punishment
As a solution, the bureau proposed setting up a group to provide youth with information about employment and help them arrange workplace assignments from July 5 to September 30. The bureau said the group would need cooperation from all party, government, law enforcement and labor organizations in the province.
The labor bureau said this group would focus not on punishing unemployed young people, but rather on a combined approach of “encouragement and problem-solving.” Group representatives would be expected to visit families and interview individuals about their willingness to find work, then help arrange meaningful work assignments.
“South Pyongan province noted that ignoring youth unemployment would lead to various problems, including criminal behavior and ideological deviation. Given the province’s proximity to the ‘revolutionary capital’ of Pyongyang, unemployed youth wandering the streets could cause even worse problems. The province said the proposed group was a socialist solution that was preventative and designed to help unemployed young people find jobs,” the source said.
Many North Koreans are supportive of the solution presented by South Pyongan province.
“Locals have heard rumors about the province’s report to the Central Committee, and unemployed young people and their parents welcome the approach it describes. North Koreans say that under such an approach, there would be no reason to hide at home, tell lies or run away when government representatives came to visit,” the source said.
“Young people who were worried about being harassed say this is how socialism is supposed to work and hope the government will keep handling problems this way. They say a nation has no future if it treats its young people like rats to be trapped.”
