Korean startups scout for software talent in India

Korean startups wanting to hire software developers held a job fair for students in India.

Representatives from the Korea Venture Business Association and Pan-IT Alumni Foundation, the alumni association of the Indian Institute of Technology, pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to offer more employment opportunities for the university's students during the job fair. [MINISTRY OF SMES AND STARTUPS]

Korean startups wanting to hire software developers held a job fair for students in India.

A total of 117 startups and around 1,000 students attended the job fair, arranged by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on Monday and Tuesday.

The job fair was held in New Delhi, split into different sessions at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Korean Cultural Center India New Delhi.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups hosting a job fair for students in India [MINISTRY OF SMES AND STARTUPS]

Seoul-based edu-tech startup TagHive was one of the attending companies. CEO Agarwal Pankaj pursued his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, but came to Korea to work at Samsung Electronics and established his own company, TagHive.

The startup ministry, which traditionally hosted job fairs for software developers in Korea, has decided to expand its reach by organizing a fair in India for the first time. This decision stems from the high demand among startups to recruit developers from the country.

According to a startup ministry survey conducted last year, 54.5 percent out of the 187 surveyed startups said they were willing to hire international software developers.

Among them, 36.4 percent said they wanted to hire employees from India, 31 percent said Vietnam and 11.8 percent said China.

Students attending the job fair had the opportunity to participate in job interviews with companies. Additionally, they attended briefing sessions to gain insights into what it's like to work in Korea.

According to the ministry, attending companies aim to hire more than 200 individuals from the job fair.

Opportunities for students to work in Korea with the E-7 visa and for them to stay in India while working remotely were both offered.

More career opportunities will also be provided.

During the job fair, the Korea Venture Business Association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pan-IT Alumni Foundation, the alumni association of the Indian Institute of Technology.

The two plan to work together to offer more opportunities for the university's graduates to work in Korea.

"Countries like the United States and France invite talented personnel from other countries to build their startup ecosystem," said Oh Young-ju, Minister of SMEs and Startups. "We plan to utilize various methods to globalize Korea's startup ecosystem as well."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]