Foreign nationals make up 0.7% of Korea's research workforce, visa hurdles persist
Foreign experts accounted for less than 1 percent of research personnel at Korean companies, a report showed Tuesday, with companies identifying visa and related administrative issues as the biggest obstacles to hiring foreign workers in the field. According to the report by the Korea Industrial Technology Association (KOITA), there were 72,224 corporate research and development organizations…
Foreign nationals constitute only 0.7% of Korea's research workforce, despite a notable increase in the number of organizations employing them, according to a recent report. The Korea Industrial Technology Association (KOITA) revealed that out of 72,224 registered research and development organizations, only 1,945, or 2.7%, had foreign researchers in 2025.
The total number of foreign researchers stood at 3,155, representing a 0.7% share in the overall research workforce, with a 57.9% increase and a 21.4% increase in the relevant figures over the past decade. However, foreign researchers' share of the total research workforce remained largely stagnant at approximately 0.7%. A survey of 1,225 companies conducted from August 21 to 28 provided insights into their experiences with foreign researchers, hiring plans, and recruitment challenges, with visa and administrative hurdles cited as the most significant obstacles to hiring foreign workers in the field.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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