Competing for Youth Votes, Lai Ruey-long and Ko Chih-en Propose Policies to Aid Employment and Housing

(CNA, Kaohsiung, July 9) To compete for youth votes, Democratic Progressive Party Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Ruey-long today unveiled the "Southern Dreams: Kaohsiung Youth Five-Force Flagship Plan," encompassing the needs of both students and young professionals. Meanwhile, Kuomintang Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en proposed the "Youth Housing and Employment Support Plan" to assist young people in finding stable employment and housing.

Lai Ruey-long attended a seminar hosted by the Southern Region Committee of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, engaging in in-depth discussions with local startups. He then presented his policy proposal, the "Southern Dreams: Kaohsiung Youth Five-Force Flagship Plan," designed to address the needs of both students and young professionals.

Lai stated that the plan focuses on five major aspects: career development, international engagement, entrepreneurship, stable housing, and well-being. Building upon the existing policies of incumbent Mayor Chen Chi-mai, it aims to further construct a more comprehensive support network.

Lai pointed out that for "career development," the "Great Port Youth Internship Program 2.0" will be upgraded, along with a tiered incentive design for conversion to full-time positions, offering bonuses to encourage retention. In terms of "international engagement," the "Kaohsiung Youth Overseas Dream-Chasing International Exchange Subsidy" will be promoted, expanding eligibility from current vocational high school students to university students.

For "entrepreneurship," a "Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Lifecycle Support System" will be established. "Stable housing" advocates for "livable environment support," continuing the development of social housing and rent subsidies. Regarding "well-being," the plan includes the "Youth Mental Health and Public Participation Program" and the "Workplace Micro-Exercise Program" to promote physical and mental health.

Ko Chih-en, in March, proposed the "Three Arrows for Youth Housing," which includes promoting affordable housing to assist young people in purchasing homes at reasonable prices. These homes can be resold to the city government at a fixed price in the future, ensuring housing returns to its primary purpose of residence.

Ko also proposed increasing the proportion of housing for newly married and child-rearing families to 40%, and extending the social housing lease period to 12 years for families with children aged 0-6 and those with children attending elementary schools within the designated school district, catering to both newly married/child-rearing and school-aged families. Additionally, she encourages corporations to donate to the Youth Housing Fund, combined with floor area ratio incentives, to expand the supply of youth social housing.

In terms of youth employment policies, Ko launched the "Youth First-Time Job Seeker Guidance Program," where eligible individuals who complete employment and maintain stable positions can receive up to NT$25,000. She also promoted the "Startup Star Crowdfunding Guidance Program," aiming to support 100 startup teams over four years with a fundraising target of NT$300 million, assisting young entrepreneurs in gaining market validation.

Furthermore, in response to the development of Kaohsiung's semiconductor and technology industries, Ko proposed a 10% increase in internship positions for mid-to-high-level technology professionals to cultivate local talent and accelerate industrial upgrading. industrial upgrading. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150709)