Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Better support needed for skilled foreigners in domestic job market
Foreigners attend a job fair for foreign residents at COEX, Seoul, in this September 2019 photo. Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
By Lee Hyo-jin
Carolina Bahamondes, 31, a foreign resident from Chile, has been searching for a job in Korea since she obtained her master's degree from a university in Seoul in February 2020.
But so far, it's not going very well.
“Last year, I submitted applications to at least 30 companies and received contact from three of them. But we couldn't proceed due to visa issues because I was then in Chile. Since I came back to Korea this January, I have applied to around 10 companies, but I haven't heard from them yet,” she told The Korea Times
With an intermediate to advanced level of proficiency in the Korean language, it is not easy to find a job in a relevant field as her major, environmental energy engineering.
“The companies I'm interested in are mostly small or medium-sized enterprises, and they demand fluency in Korean. It is hard to compete with native speakers,” she said.
A Ph.D. student from Malaysia surnamed Ahmad Basri has similar concerns. Currently attending a university in North Gyeongsang Province, he is preparing to enter the job market, as he finishes his course in June.
“It's difficult because I don't know where I can get information on job vacancies for foreigners. Some companies only accept Korean nationals but they don't put that requirement in their advertisements,” he said.
Both Bahamodes and Ahmad Basri pointed out a lack of support from their universities.
“A lot of foreigners aren't familiar with the resume format including the mandatory self-introduction letter, and this reduces our opportunities. It would be better if international students could receive guidance from the university before they finish their courses,” Bahamondes said.
Admad Basri echoed the sentiment saying, “Any kind of help would be great for us, career counseling or open job fairs.”
Their concerns are shared by hundreds of foreign nationals who are struggling to find jobs in Korea after getting an advanced degree here, due to multiple reasons including a lack of information on employment, the language barrier and work visa issues.
A woman looks at postings during a job fair for foreign residents at COEX, Seoul, in this September 2019 photo. Yonhap
The Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) released a research paper on the foreign workforce here including a survey on the difficulties foreigners have experienced during the job hunting process.
A total of 650 foreign nationals who were working here after completing a postgraduate course between 2016 and 2019 were surveyed.
When multiple replies were allowed, among the 426 master's degree holders, 49.5 percent cited difficulties caused by a lack of information on companies and the workplace environment, while 49 percent pointed to a lack of recruitment information.
Among the 224 foreigners with a doctoral degree, 57 percent replied that there was limited recruitment information, followed by difficulties from their lack of Korean language skills, chosen by 48 percent.
Also, regarding their current jobs, many respondents viewed that their academic background and expertise were higher than that required.
More than 70 percent of master's degree holders replied that the appropriate academic background for their current work was a bachelor's degree, and over 60 percent of Ph.D. holders said their work could be done by people with a master's degree or lower.
“The survey results show that foreign talent is not being effectively utilized in the domestic job market,” the research paper stated, adding that the country should strengthen the link between the education sector and labor market by supporting these students in the job hunting process.
Bringing diversity and global talent into the domestic labor market is important from an economic point of view, according to Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis Global Market Research.
“Without diversity, it is really hard to move beyond the frontier,” Garcia-Herrero told The Korea Times.
“Diversity also helps create a more harmonious society where differences are accepted, and that is not only conducive to economic growth but also supports fairness and justice,” she added
The economist advised that Korea should actively open its borders to global talent in the fields of employment as well as education, saying, “The timing cannot be better as there is a global search for alternatives beyond U.S. and U.K. universities, especially in Asia.”