A programme to recruit software developers from India, launched this year by South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is gaining traction with venture firms that have been struggling to recruit talented engineers. Pictured is the Indian Institute Of Technology-Madras (IIT-Madras), India’s version of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In a bid to address the chronic shortage of software talent in its burgeoning tech industry, South Korea has launched an initiative to recruit skilled developers from India.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on September 5 that 103 Indian software developers have been hired by South Korean venture companies as part of this pioneering program.
The ministry, which aims to facilitate 200 such hires this year, initiated the project to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and venture companies struggling to recruit and retain software specialists.
In February, the ministry held three job fairs in New Delhi to attract Indian software developers interested in working for Korean companies.
The Korea Venture Business Association, which is overseeing the project, also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institutes of Technology Alumni Foundation to streamline the recruitment process.
Since February, the ministry has been soliciting applications from companies seeking to hire Indian workers. By August, 324 companies had applied, with 91 of them conducting 395 interviews. This process culminated in 30 companies hiring 103 Indian developers.
The minister of SMEs and Startups Oh Yeong-ju (L) meets with the head of the Korea Venture Business Association (R). (Image courtesy of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
Interestingly, 98 of the 103 hired developers will work remotely from India, eliminating the need for visa procedures and allowing for quicker onboarding of urgently needed software talent.
However, five developers are currently in the process of obtaining visas to work in South Korea, reflecting some companies’ preference for on-site collaboration.
Kim Bong-deok, who is responsible for venture policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “We plan to distribute a manual addressing common concerns and questions that companies have raised during this process, to assist businesses interested in hiring overseas developers.”
Kim added, “In addition to alleviating the software talent shortage in SMEs and venture companies, we are exploring ways to utilize international students studying in Korea to aid in global expansion efforts.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
