January 7, 2025
SEOUL – A recent survey showed the potential of international students to fill labor gaps in regional areas, where an aging society and the migration of young talent to Seoul have left local communities struggling to sustain their workforces.
The Ministry of Education’s recent survey revealed that approximately 55 percent of international students studying at regional universities in the country hope to secure employment in their current area of residence. About 65 percent of local companies expressed a positive attitude toward hiring more foreign workers.
Based on data collected from 1,207 international students and 98 regional companies who participated in employment fairs held in five provinces — North Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, Busan, and North Chungcheong — between June and October last year.
Among international students, 42.5 percent stated they were solely interested in working in South Korea, while 45.5 percent expressed interest in either Korean or home-country employment. Only 12 percent showed interest in working in Korea or a third country.
When asked about their preferred employment locations, 55.1 percent of respondents said they wished to work in their current regions, while 37.1 percent hoped to find jobs in the Seoul metropolitan area. Notably, international students at fairs in North Chungcheong and South Jeolla showed a higher preference for metropolitan employment over local opportunities, with 51.9 percent and 48.2 percent of students in the region wishing to leave the area respectively.
The industries most favored by international students included manufacturing and mining, with some 16 percent, followed by wholesale and retail trade, accommodation, and food services at 10 percent. Other sectors of interest were professional, scientific, and technical services at 9.8 percent, public and educational services at 9.5 percent, and finance and insurance at 9 percent.
Among the regional companies surveyed, 65.3 percent planned to expand foreign hiring within the next five years, while only 6.1 percent had no plans to do so. Notably, 62.2 percent of these companies preferred international students over other foreign workers.
Their stated reasons for hiring foreign workers included difficulty in recruiting Korean workers, expansion into international markets and fostering workplace diversity.
To address the talent gap and support international students seeking local employment, the Ministry of Education announced plans to strengthen job-matching services through the “Study in Korea” system, which offers job information and counseling services.
The ministry also plans to integrate the employment support platform “K-Work,” developed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, to enhance job-matching capabilities. With the nationwide expansion of the Regional Innovation Strategy for Education this year, the government aims to facilitate more employment fairs and provide stronger support for international students and local businesses alike.