Retired Women Fill Gaps in Korea’s Tourism Industry
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
South Korea is turning to retired and career-experienced women (경력보유여성) aged 50+ to ease severe labor shortages in tourism after the pandemic. The government’s “50+ and Experienced Women Tourism Jobs” program has trained over 1,300 people across regions since 2023, with many reemployed in hotels, travel agencies and local experience tourism. Employers report that seasoned hires—often former teachers or long-time professionals—improve customer service, safety and rebooking rates because they read customer emotions and handle unexpected situations better than inexperienced staff. Subsidies from local governments and labor ministries help firms hire, but concerns remain about long-term sustainability once support ends, low wages, heavy workloads and declining youth enrollment in tourism studies. Experts call for standardized retraining, better working conditions and generational workforce circulation alongside AI tools that will assist rather than replace human service roles.
