On September 2, KOTRA hosted the opening ceremony for Contact KOREA, an integral part of Invest KOREA that has been established to help companies experiencing a shortage of skilled labor.

The ceremony was attended by distinguished government officials including Chairman Sagong Il of the Presidential Council on National Competitiveness, the Vice Minister of Knowledge Economy, Lee Jae-hun, and CEOs of small and mid-sized companies. In his congratulatory remarks, National Competitiveness Council Chairman Sagong Il said, “Contact KOREA represents the essence of human resources management strategies pushed forward by the National Competitiveness Council and the Korean government. I expect the support center will breathe new life to the Korean economy, serving as a bridge linking talented workers from around the world to businesses, universities, the government sector and public agencies in Korea.” To date, Korea has been short on sincere efforts and activities to attract professional workers from abroad.

The demand for such a talented workforce, however, has steadily increased every year, raising the need for a separate organization that attracts competent workers for companies based in Korea. In this respect, the government's plan to establish and operate Contact KOREA within KOTRA was confirmed at the second meeting of the National Competitive Council presided by President Lee Myung-bak on April 30.

Upon the launch of Contact KOREA, KOTRA has designated 25 overseas trade centers in 21 countries in North America and Asia as bases to seek out talented workers, which will in turn provide information on human resources to companies in Korea on demand.

In addition, Contact KOREA will set up a system in which professional foreign workers can easily acquire visas and exchange information with Korean companies through an Internet portal web site. Moreover, Contact KOREA will cooperate with the Small Business Corporation and Korea Industrial Technology Foundation to assist Korean SMEs in hiring competent workers. The center is expected to host a job fair and organize various events, and offer services tailored to government demand, in particular regard to the employment of foreign nationals as public officials.

O Eung-cheon, who is set to take the helm of Contact KOREA, stressed the importance of talented workers, citing the ever intensifying “war for talent” accelerated by globalization and free flow of materials and human resources. China has already taken an active approach in hiring global talent regardless of race, nationality, and salary level. Japan, which had not offered foreign nationals wide job opportunities, has dramatically eased regulations so that talented workers can stay in the country for a longer period of time.

The U.S. government is also sparing no effort to secure excellent human resources through various programs including the Engineer of 2020 project.

(source : www.investkorea.or.kr)