South Korea seeks foreign talent amid aging crisis
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — As South Korea grapples with a rapidly aging population and shrinking workforce, the country is increasingly looking to attract foreign talent to fill crucial skilled labor roles, according to the head of the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS).
“Korea is getting more and more in need of all kinds of labor. The manpower shortage in Korea is not necessarily limited to manual or nonprofessional labor, but highly educated workers are also needed,” said KEIS President Kim Young-jung in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.
He highlighted that in the future, Korea may need to hire more foreign engineers, scientists, teachers, managers and IT professionals as the youth population dwindles.
“When foreign workers come to Korea, we have to mix with them and live together in society,” Kim stated.
“We need to work together in terms of social integration so that the influx of foreigners does not create social conflicts with the existing population.”
Similarly, Japan is setting its sights on Southeast Asia and India to bolster its tech workforce, with the Cabinet Office spearheading a move to streamline the residency status system.
South Korea preparing for an aging workforce
While Korea can still tap into economically inactive residents like retirees and stay-at-home parents for a few more years, Kim warned that by 2028 the workforce will start shrinking rapidly due to the aging population.
“Currently, Suwon, the largest city and the capital of Gyeonggi Province, has a population of about 1.2 million, and we are going to lose as many young people as the population of that city by 2030,” he said.
Kim encouraged workers from abroad to consider employment in Korea’s thriving technology, cultural and industrial sectors. As head of KEIS, he anticipates developing more job services tailored to immigrant workers if their numbers increase substantially.
“As a country that owns Samsung, Korea is not only a country with a well-developed technology industry but also a cultural powerhouse that owns all kinds of content such as K-pop, K-drama and K-movies. This attractive country needs all kinds of labor. So I hope more people will be interested and look for employment in Korea.”
The KEIS, a semi-governmental organization, currently supports companies that struggle to find domestic workers by allowing them to legally hire foreign labor.
Looking ahead, KEIS aims to incorporate AI job matching, digital credentials and an extensive occupational database to enhance its world-class employment services. The agency has already shared its systems with developing nations like Vietnam, Mongolia, and Cambodia through aid programs.
