Evaluation of Policies and Projects Aimed at Attracting Professional and Skilled Foreign Workers

Published on July 1, 2024
Published by Economic Industrial Program Evaluation Division, Budget Analysis Department

   As the population and total fertility rate continue to decline, 'foreign manpower' is gaining attention as a means to secure a productive workforce and enhance economic innovation and growth. In particular, as competition for supremacy in cutting-edge technology and production manpower intensifies, major countries like the United States, Germany, and Japan are striving to attract top talent by improving visa systems and revising related laws.
   Recently, the government formed the ‘Population Policy TF’ (launched in April 2019) and presented foreign workforce policy as a strategy to expand the economically active population. However, as a non-English speaking country, Korea faces entry barriers in attracting top talent. Additionally, the conservative nature of the overall system related to foreign workers, including the visa and nationality system, and the lack of interest in professional and skilled foreign workers, further limits this effort.
    Against this background, this report examines the current status of foreign workers and identifies problems with their management. It also reviews the visa system under the Immigration Act and the dual nationality system under the Nationality Act to address the challenges of attracting professional and skilled foreign workers. The resulting issues were analyzed, and improvement measures were proposed. Additionally, the report reviews related ministries' projects for attracting and training professional and skilled foreign workers to identify areas for improvement.
   As a result of the review, it is evident that a control tower for comprehensive foreign manpower policy is needed, ensuring collaboration between ministries. The visa system requires improvement, such as relaxing degree and experience requirements and applying differential foreign employment ratios to attract top talent. Additionally, procedures related to dual nationality should be streamlined to make it easier to attract skilled individuals. Building a proactive talent pool is essential so that the projects for attracting and nurturing professional and skilled foreign workers can act as a catalyst for drawing excellent foreign talent. Moreover, providing follow-up infrastructure, including language assistance and networking support, is crucial.