'8 out of 10 foreign students willing to work in Korea'

Foreign job seekers attend a job fair for international students held at Kyungsung University in Busan on Sept. 27. (Newsis)

Eight out of 10 international college students studying in Korea are willing to work in the country, yet the proportion of professional foreign laborers securing jobs remains quite low, according to a recent report by the Korea International Trade Association.

The report, released Monday, noted that the number of foreign students in Korea has steadily increased over the past decade, reaching 197,000 in 2022. However, only 6 percent of these students secured employment through the E-7-1 professional work visa.

A survey included in the report, which polled 493 foreign students enrolled at local universities, revealed that 78 percent were open to working at a company here, with half choosing a Korean firm as their top career choice postgraduation.

Notably, many international students are receptive to opportunities outside large corporations and preferred industries. The survey found that 3 out of 4 respondents would consider positions outside the Seoul metropolitan area if the salary and benefits were adequate, reflecting a positive attitude toward employment in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Domestic companies are generally positive about hiring international students. A survey of over 400 firms in the trade industry showed that while only 34 percent were willing to hire foreign workers overall, 51 percent expressed a willingness to employ international students who graduated from Korean universities.

However, significant obstacles remain for international students seeking careers in Korea, including a lack of companies hiring foreign workers as well as challenges in accessing recruitment information and obtaining work visas.

In response to these findings, KITA proposed measures to better utilize international students and strengthen the local labor market, including establishing joint hiring programs between academia and industry to promote regional development and a comprehensive job information platform tailored to their needs. It also called for the expansion of the E-7-1 visa quota and the creation of new work visa options for international students.

As of 2023, there were 2.5 million foreigners living in Korea, with 920,000 employed by local firms. However, most were hired under nonprofessional employment visas, such as the E-9, which has expanded significantly in recent years. In contrast, the E-7-1 professional employment visa, available to international students, remains highly restricted in number.

Kim Ghot-byeol, a senior researcher at KITA, called for improved employment and working conditions for skilled foreign talent to tackle Korea's job vacancies.

"Countries like Germany and Japan, with substantial manufacturing sectors and aging populations, are actively implementing policies to attract foreigners," Kim said. "Utilizing international students can help minimize social costs and side effects. To achieve this, we need comprehensive efforts to raise public awareness and establish long-term, systematic living conditions for them."

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)