South Korea has asked Cambodia to provide a labor force of more than 10,000 people to help deal with shortages in the construction, agriculture and industrial sectors. The request comes as the number of people signing up to take the Korean language test, which is required for those hoping to work in South Korea, greatly increased.

According to a report from the Labor Ministry, more than 50,000 candidates took the language test on Friday and Saturday. The test was officially organized by the Korean Ministry of Employment and implemented by the human resources department of the ministry, in cooperation with the Committee on Training and Sending Workers to Work Overseas at the Labor Ministry. Pich Sophorn, a secretary of state at the ministry and chairman of the committee, told reporters on the first day of the exam that almost 54,000 people sat for the Korean language exam in 2016, but South Korea only needed about 10,000 workers to shore up its industries.

“The Ministry of Employment of the Republic of Korea needs 4,700 Cambodian workers to work in the industry sector, 1,000 workers for the construction sector and 3,700 workers in the agriculture sector,” he said, adding that workers should avoid any company claiming they could circumvent the language exam. “I also appeal to our people; regardless of those who wish to work in Korea, please do not believe in the propaganda of organizations or companies that assure they can send you to work in Korea without taking the Korea language test,” he said.

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26585/korea-asks-for-10-000-workers/

And on the other hand a huge number of well educated Koreans is unemployed. Something wrong there...

And on the other hand a huge number of well educated Koreans is unemployed. Something wrong there...

That wherein lies part of the problem. Everyone wants to go to university, get a few graduate degrees, and eventually take a nice and comfy office job where they do....something??? The initial post clearly states that the labor shortages are " in the construction, agricultural, and industrial sectors." These are labor-intensive jobs which often require hard work and getting dirty.

I am not at all opposed to being educated, and I feel that secondary education should be freely available to all people. However, there is a major shortage of people willing to work in the blue collar industries that perform the essential services we all take for granted, but could not live without. In the USA, a person with even mediocre skill-sets in many trades can easily find a job paying around $100k a year, but people with graduate degrees have to settle for low-paying hospitality, food service, and retail jobs.