The government will unveil a comprehensive plan in July to help young people find jobs in a bid to lower the nation's consistently high youth unemployment rate, the top economic policymaker said Thursday.

Speaking to students and faculty at Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, Choi Kyung-hwan said the government is aware of growing concerns that raising the country's retirement age from 58 to 60 next year could affect job market conditions for young people.

Raising the retirement age compels companies to spend more on wages and makes it harder for them to hire new workers.

The jobless rate among people between 15 and 29 stood at 10.2 percent as of April. This is significantly higher than the 3.9 percent rate for the entire country.

"To reduce any fallout, the government is striving to introduce wage peak systems and use the money saved to encourage businesses to hire new people," the finance minister said. "Hiring young people is critical for sustainable growth."

Choi said the government's master plan aims to focus on microeconomic details so it can have a direct bearing on the market.

Without going into details, he said that in the short run, every effort will be made to increase hiring where more people are needed. He said measures will be taken to help qualified people find work abroad, and emphasized that government agencies will re-examine all job programs to enhance their efficiency.

"The government, moreover, will actively incorporate policy measures that can help create jobs for young people in the 2016 budget," the official who doubles as deputy prime minister in charge of economic policy pledged.

Choi then said that while the government will do its part, schools must revamp their curricula so students get the kind of education that is needed by society.

He stressed that education must become "demand oriented" instead of being fueled by established programs that are unable to keep up with the changing times. (Yonhap)