Top National Certification Trends: Forklift Operator Leads the Way

A forklift carrying flour. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – Last year, the most widely taken national technical qualification test among job seekers and people looking to re-enter the workforce was forklift operator certification.

Minah from the girl group Girl’s Day obtained this certification, which became a popular topic of discussion. Even other well-known male celebrities, like actor Sung Hoon, earned a forklift driver’s license, making it a widely recognized certification. 

On Wednesday, the Human Resources Development Service of Korea released a report called the “Basic Statistics Report on National Technical Qualification Examinees,” which analyzed the responses from 2,172,331 out of 2,177,333 people who applied for the written examination for national technical qualifications in 2022. 

The researchers discovered that in general, men tended to prefer acquiring certifications in construction and electrical work, while women were more inclined towards cooking and beauty. For example, Soyu from the girl group SISTAR mentioned that she obtained a hairdresser license in her second year of junior high school due to uncertainty about her future. 

Interestingly, 37.8 percent of the 2.17 million test-takers were already employed last year, with 28.4 percent being students and 20.6 percent job seekers. This indicates that more and more people are striving to get certified to enhance their competitiveness in the job market. 

In terms of age, those in their 20s accounted for 37 percent of the test-takers, followed by those in their 30s (19.9 percent), 40s (15.8 percent), people aged 50 or older (14.7 percent), and teenagers (12.6 percent).

The primary reason for taking the test was to secure a job (38.8 percent), followed by “self-improvement” and “enhancing job performance” (24.4 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively).

The most popular exam among those taking the test for employment was the forklift operator certification. Korean culinary technician, electrician, information processing technician, and hairdresser (general) came in second through fifth place, respectively.

For those seeking self-development, the forklift operator certification was also the most popular choice. Those looking to enhance their job performance or change careers chose the industrial safety engineer test.

In terms of the type of examinees, the forklift operator certification was the top choice for job seekers, followed by confectionery technician, bakery technician, electrician, and information processing technician.

The most popular exams for current employees were the engineer for industrial safety, forklift operator, and electrician certifications, followed by hairdresser (general), Korean culinary technician, and confectionery technician, according to the agency’s report.

Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)