Government: 155,000 Workers Needed by 2029 in 5 Major New Industries Including Next-Generation Semiconductors

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] It has been surveyed that 155,000 industrial technology personnel will be needed in five promising new industry sectors, including next-generation semiconductors, by 2029.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the results of an industrial technology workforce survey on the five promising new industry sectors?next-generation semiconductors, new metal materials, next-generation ceramic materials, advanced chemical materials, and high-tech fiber materials?on the 4th. Industrial technology personnel refer to workers with a high school diploma or higher who are employed in companies in research and development, technical positions, production and information communication management, and executive roles.

According to the survey, as of the end of 2019, the number of industrial technology personnel in the five new industry sectors was 111,000, but it is expected to increase by an average of 3.4% annually over the next 10 years, expanding to 155,000 by 2029. As of the end of 2019, the shortage of personnel was 2,845, with a shortage rate of 2.5%, and the shortage rate for master's and doctoral level personnel was particularly high at 4.2%.

By sector, the number of industrial technology personnel in the next-generation semiconductor sector is expected to expand from 36,000 at the end of 2019 to 51,000 in 2029. New metal materials are projected to increase from 26,000 to 29,000 during this period, and next-generation ceramic materials from 7,000 to 11,000. Advanced chemical materials are expected to expand from 25,000 to 39,000. Companies in this sector prefer chemical engineering majors, and research and development demand for high-performance chemical materials linked to pharmaceuticals, beauty products, and key industries is expected to continue.

Due to the increase in medical and safety-related fiber materials such as antiviral and quarantine materials, the workforce in the high-tech fiber materials sector is also expected to grow from 15,000 to 23,000.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to expand projects for training master's and doctoral level personnel, who face the greatest difficulties in workforce supply and demand, and to establish additional educational courses in new industry sectors based on this survey, thereby promoting workforce development.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.