북한이탈여성의 취업지원을 위한 직업교육훈련 효율적 운영방안

Vocational training for employment support of North Korean female refugees

Ⅰ. 연구의 배경 전체 북한이탈입국자 가운데 여성비율은 전체의 약 70%에 달하고 2006년 이후 70%를 넘어 2010년 75.7%에 이른다. 여성들의 탈북 사유는 보다 나은 삶의 기회(63.7%)를 찾고 경제적 어려움(59.4%)을 해결하기 위한 것이 가장 많다. 연령으로는 30대가 약 34%로 가장 많고 다음이 40대가 약 27%, 20대 약 19%로 20∼49세가 전체의 약 80%에 달한다. 재북 직업별로는 무직부양(54.5%)과 노동자ㆍ농장원(36.3%)이 전체의 약 91%를 차지하고, 학력은 고등중학교 학력이 74.6%로 가장 많다. 이는 대체로 학력이 낮고, 직업경력이 없거나 단순노무직 경력이 대다수인 북한이탈여성들을 우리 사회에서 취업시켜서 경제적 어려움을 해결하도록 도움을 주어야 한다는 어려운 정책과제가 발생했음을 의미한다. 물론 북한에서 관리직이나 전문직으로 일했던 여성들도 2.6% 정도 있으나, 전체 북한이탈여성 중 차지하는 비율이 낮고 그 학력과 경력이 우리 사회에서 활용되는 데 제약이 크므로, 결국 북한이탈여성의 경제적 자립은 매우 어려운 과제라고 할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 북한이탈주민여성들의 직업훈련 및 취업실태와 문제를 분석하여 이의 개선방안을 제시함으로써 그들의 경제적 자립과 실질적인 사회정착을 지원하고자 한다.

Currently, the number of North Korean refugees has exceeded 20,000, more than 70% of whom are females. The number of North Korean refugees is expected to rise, and majority of them are forecasted to be women. As a result, in order to stabilize the livelihood of female refugees and promote their self-reliance, their vocational capability should be further developed. This study aims to analyze the training and employment of North Korean female refugees and present improvement policies. North Korean female refugees have some difficulties in common with career-discontinued women or those from multicultural families but are faced with more serious hardships. As they move to South Korea, they lost their careers in the North, even experiencing cultural gap. Also they have experienced emotional instability, lack of job skills and confidence, and difficulties in communication, etc. Those who don't have families in the South have gone through more hardships in childcare. In the labor market, female refugees have experienced discrimination against North Koreans, as well as discrimination in gender and age. In order to efficiently deal with such issues, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family should cooperate with one another. In particular, in order to properly cope with difficulties that female refugees have experienced, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family needs to more actively participate in HR project for North Korean female refugees. Comprehensive services such as helping home affairs and providing information they need as well as job training and employment support should be effectively offered. Also, education for communicating and cultural understanding abilities, prerequisites for successful adaptation in work place and society, should be provided as a long-term project.