Under the plan announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the government aims to add the new jobs with the goal of expanding the country’s presence in the global bio market from its current 1.8 percent to 4 percent by the target year. (Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea aims to create some 35,000 new jobs in the health care sector by 2022 as part of its efforts to become a global biotech and medical industry hub, the government said Friday.
Under the plan announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the government aims to add the new jobs with the goal of expanding the country’s presence in the global bio market from its current 1.8 percent to 4 percent by the target year.
In order to reach the goal, the government plans to create so-called bio big data by working with six major general hospitals to collect some 10 million patient records.
Big data will be used to develop new drugs and to create services that can predict the future course of diseases based on data collected from people suffering from chronic illnesses, officials said.
“South Korea has world-class bio data,” Commerce Minister Paik Un-gyu said, adding that the digital data is based on the information system operated by top hospitals.
The government has been making efforts to support the bio sector as the country aims to become a global biotech and medical industry hub going forward.
In recent years, local bio companies have become more competitive on the global stage on the back of robust R&D spending and policy assistance provided by the government. In order to become a global powerhouse in the sector, the ministry emphasized the importance of quality manpower.
(Yonhap)
