Supporting Regional SME Innovation, Starting with Securing Technical Talent

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on April 20, 2026, that it will pilot the “Technical Talent Recruitment Support” program using the Innovation Voucher project, in order to ease the burden of securing technical talent for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) outside the Seoul metropolitan area and help companies continue their innovation activities in a stable manner.

Until now, regional SMEs have faced difficulties in securing specialized technical personnel needed for innovation processes such as technology development, quality improvement, and new product development. In particular, companies outside the metropolitan area have faced limitations in sourcing suitable talent and have struggled with recruitment costs, making it difficult to hire the necessary workforce in a timely manner.

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This new initiative aims to address these on-site challenges by supporting SMEs in more smoothly securing the technical talent they need through the use of private professional agencies (such as recruitment agencies and headhunters).

If a company hires technical personnel with certain qualifications and experience through a recruitment agency (headhunter) and retains them for at least three months, the company will receive a voucher covering recruitment costs of up to 10 million won per company. The total support budget is 1 billion won, with the government covering 75% of costs. In addition, companies located in rural or depopulated areas will receive an additional preferential support of 5 to 10 percentage points.

Detailed information will be announced on the Ministry of SMEs and Startups website and the Innovation Voucher platform, and companies wishing to participate can apply online from April 20, 2026, to May 6, 2026. Specific eligibility requirements and procedures can be found in the official announcement.

Kwon Soonjae, Director of Regional Enterprise Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “For regional SMEs to continue innovating, it is crucial to secure the right technical talent at the right time,” adding, “Through this pilot project, we will actively work to reduce the recruitment burden on companies and help them accumulate internal technical capabilities.”

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