Korean firms show strong interest in foreign hiring, favoring Vietnamese workers

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SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - A survey of 557 South Korean companies by career platform Saramin and foreign recruitment service Comate revealed that 73.4 percent are willing to hire foreign workers, with Vietnamese nationals being the most preferred at 31.3 percent, followed by Central Asians at 20 percent and Filipinos at 18.6 percent.

The hiring intention was highest among companies with 50-100 employees at 74.5 percent, while 84.2 percent of companies experiencing labor shortages expressed interest in foreign recruitment. The main reason for considering foreign workers was "too few domestic applicants" at 60.1 percent, followed by "better retention and diligence than domestic workers" at 27.1 percent.

Manufacturing and production roles led desired positions at 42.5 percent, followed by service sector at 16.1 percent and sales/trade at 12 percent. Among companies with foreign hiring experience (44.7 percent of respondents), 72.7 percent reported high satisfaction rates, primarily due to "resolving workforce gaps" (53 percent) and "better retention than domestic workers" (34.1 percent).

Key challenges included "difficulty in Korean language communication" (56.2 percent) and "complicated visa procedures" (40.2 percent). Companies identified "visa system improvement" (46.9 percent) and "enhanced Korean language and cultural education" (38.6 percent) as crucial for facilitating foreign employment.

Small to medium-sized enterprises showed particularly strong interest, with companies under 50 employees reporting 73.9 percent hiring intention, while larger corporations with over 300 employees showed 66.7 percent interest.

Candice Kim candicekim1121@ajupress.com