Nearly 7 in 10 worldwide students in South Korea who work part time are concentrated in low-skilled service jobs, according to a brand-new report, raising fresh concerns around employability as the country presses to retain more international talent.
A research study on the socioeconomic effect of worldwide students in Korea, released by the Migration Research Study and Training Center, discovered that 71.1% of international student workers were utilized in the food and accommodation sector, with the figure rising to 81.6% amongst undergraduate trainees aged 19-24.
Just 2.4% of participants stated alignment with their field of study or future profession was a crucial factor when choosing part-time work. Rather, the most essential factor to consider was discovering tasks compatible with study schedules, mentioned by 54.4% of respondents, followed by salaries at 24.8%.
The report indicated that such employment was “not operating as a stepping stone” for relevant career experience, with worldwide trainees significantly focused in labour-intensive service work.
Regional disparities were also recognized, with more than 80% of worldwide students in locations consisting of Gwangju, Busan, Incheon and parts of Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces used in food and hospitality jobs.
The study even more discovered that 41.9% of worldwide student employees were utilized informally without officially reporting their work to authorities. Researchers connected this partially to existing health insurance guidelines, under which international trainees lose a 50% reduction in nationwide health insurance premiums if annual income exceeds KRW 3.6 million (₤ 1,900-₤ 2,000), motivating some employers and students to rely on money payments and spoken agreements.
41.9%of worldwide student workers were utilized informally without reporting their tasks to authorities, highlighting the prevalence of “shadow” labour practices
Migration Research and Training Center report
The findings come soon after South Korea unveiled a wider “quality-focused” rethink of its worldwide trainee visa policy, alongside new post-study paths and skill retention measures targeted at moving beyond purely numerical growth.
As formerly reported by The PIE News, the ministry acknowledged that previous international student policy had actually focused too greatly on expanding numbers while insufficient attention had been paid to student quality and post-graduation integration.
“The ministry’s own files explicitly acknowledge that Korea’s international student policy has been too focused on reaching 300,000 students, while quality, academic preparedness and post-graduation combination have gotten insufficient attention,” Kyuseok Kim, director of IES Abroad’s Seoul centre, previously informed The PIE.
The ministry stated its new direction would combine “strategic quality management” with “expanded post-graduation opportunities” and a “development ladder visa system” aimed at helping international trainees move more smoothly into employment and long-lasting settlement.
The current report, however, recommends numerous international students stay concentrated in low-skilled work with minimal links to long-lasting profession development.
The report also discovered that many global students hesitated to report labour infractions, including unsettled incomes and unreasonable treatment, while participants cited language barriers, discrimination and the physical demands of manual labour as significant difficulties in part-time work.
Scientist argued that global students were progressively being treated as “affordable labor”, requiring reforms consisting of a formalised work management system, changes to medical insurance limits and eased reporting requirements for certified students with strong academic efficiency or Korean-language proficiency.
< img src ="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%200%200'%3E%3C/svg%3E"/ > < img src="https://thepienews.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TheStayClub-600x500-copy-1.jpg"/ >