Shortage of human resources for software more serious than semiconductors = Korea

According to a survey of industrial technology personnel released by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at the end of last year, the number of software developers was 148,720, with a shortage of 6,160. The software talent shortage rate reached 4%, the highest among the 12 industries surveyed. In contrast, the shortage rate in the semiconductor industry, where the demand for human resources continues to increase, was only 1.7%.

Although more than 30,000 human resources have been produced through the government's "training to develop core human resources in the digital field" by last year, it is said that the shortage of human resources for software has not yet been resolved.

Currently, in the IT human resource market, there are many new developers, but companies do not want to hire them, and it is difficult to hire experienced developers who are ready to work because the salary level is high.

On the other hand, the use of overseas developers is emerging as a realistic alternative. Using Vietnamese developers, whose salaries are lower than those of South Korea, can reduce labor costs by 60% compared to Korean developers of the same level.

However, there have been cases of outsourcing to overseas developers, but the quality of the deliverables was not good. Professor Seo Seok-jin of Korea University said, "When companies in Silicon Valley outsource to India or Vietnam, they clearly specify their requirements in the specifications. We need strength."