The leader of the ruling Saenuri Party said Tuesday his party will make efforts to support intermediate-sized enterprises to help them create more jobs in a bid to woo young voters feeling the job crunch.

Rep. Hwang Woo-yea said his party will consult with the government to increase the number of enterprises of middle standing to 3,000, to hire 1.2 million workers by 2015, up from 800,000 employees hired by 1,291 firms in 2010.

“Youth unemployment problems often occur when job openings do not meet the expectations of young job seekers,” Hwang said in a radio address.

Hwang said his party will seek ways to ease regulations and tax on research and development imposed on middle-ranking companies, which are sandwiched between the nation’s powerful conglomerates and small firms that receive government support and exemptions from various business regulations.

Hwang said he plans to tour across the nation to hear from people to prepare policies that better meet the demands of the people.

The job market picture is bleaker for younger people in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, with the unemployment rate among those aged

15-29 standing at 8 percent in January, much higher than the country’s overall jobless rate of 3.5 percent, according to the data by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Recent surveys showed that jobs and the economy should be the top priority for the next president, with the presidential race just six months away. 

(Yonhap News)