Amid the global competition for technological supremacy, the battle to secure outstanding scientific and technological talent is fierce. However, domestic talent in science and engineering is increasingly leaving for overseas due to poor research conditions, leading to a rising outflow of human resources. In response, the scientific community has come together to find solutions.
Kim Min-soo, acting president of the Korea Association of Science and Technology Societies (KAST), noted during the '1st Meeting of the Cluster of Science and Engineering Talent' held on the 26th at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam, Seoul, that 'the number of domestic high-tech scientific and engineering personnel who left for overseas between 2013 and 2022 has reached tens of thousands, putting national competitiveness at risk.' He added, 'It is time to address the outflow of domestic talent and to reinvent ourselves as a country that attracts global science and engineering talent.'
From this meeting, KAST and The Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) will hold a total of two meetings to collect opinions from the scientific community and discuss strategies for securing key talent in advanced and strategic technology fields and preventing their outflow. The next meeting will be held on Sept. 2.
As the world competes in advanced scientific fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and biotechnology, domestic science and engineering talent is struggling due to research environment and career issues. Some are changing their career paths to other fields or going abroad, while the inflow of domestic talent is decreasing, leading to a worsening imbalance. In response, the government has recently launched a public-private joint task force (TF) to establish measures for preventing outflow and attracting talent.
At this meeting, the background of the problems and potential solutions were also discussed. Eom Mi-jeong, head of the Science and Technology Human Resources Policy Center at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), emphasized that 'the weak treatment of outstanding talent, the seniority-based wage system, and the occupation-specific personnel management system make nurturing talent difficult in the domestic labor market.' She said, 'A new system for the influx and growth of science and engineering talent is necessary.'
Structural issues in the research field were also raised. Yoon Tae-sik, dean of the Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Components at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), pointed out that 'domestic research relies excessively on master's and doctoral students,' adding, 'When a student graduates, another student takes over their research, which reduces sustainability and limits the ability to conduct fundamental research.'
Dean Yoon continued, 'While overseas universities have a number of postdoctoral researchers and research fellows, we are significantly lacking in comparison domestically,' noting that 'in a situation where it is more advantageous for them to develop their research capabilities and increase their salaries abroad, a system to support and train them to remain in the country is necessary.'
Lee Chang-joo, head of the Future Growth Strategy Division at the Korea Industrial Technology Association, also said, 'To resolve the workforce shortage issue in the industry, there must be a strategic and consistent policy at the national level.' He suggested, 'A control tower, like the 'Innovation Talent Headquarters,' should be established to oversee and streamline the multitiered workforce system and support projects.'