Ministry of Industry Announces 2018 Industrial Technology Workforce Survey Results
Participating Companies at 78%, Sales Revenue at 53.1% Classified as Eco-Friendly Vehicles
Highest Workforce Demand in Autonomous Vehicles and Infrastructure Sectors

The industrial technology workforce engaged in future automotive industries such as electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and autonomous vehicles totaled 50,533 as of the end of 2018, a 5.3-fold increase from 9,467 at the end of 2015.

Since the end of 2015, an increase in the number of new companies participating in the future automotive industry and growth in the future automotive business areas of existing companies, combined with expanded industrial scope due to convergence between industries, drove the annual average growth rate of 74.7%.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recently announced the results of an industrial technology workforce survey conducted on business establishments with 10 or more employees participating in the future automotive industry.

As of the end of 2018, approximately 1,740 companies (166 at the end of 2015) were participating in the future automotive industry, and these companies are investing 22.9% (5.3% at the end of 2015) of total sales in the future automotive sector.

By sector: ▲Eco-friendly vehicles (Green Cars) 42,443 personnel ▲Autonomous vehicles (Smart Cars) 5,021 personnel ▲Infrastructure 3,068 personnel. Compared to the end of 2015, eco-friendly vehicle-related personnel increased by 7.3 times, marking the largest increase.

By job function: ▲Production Technology 23,438 personnel ▲Research and Development 17,186 personnel, in that order. Research and development personnel (2,114) increased 8.1-fold compared to the end of 2015.

By 2028, the demand for industrial technology workforce in the future automotive industry is expected to reach 89,069 (annual average growth rate of 5.8%). As of the end of 2018, the shortage stood at 1,827 personnel with a shortage rate of 3.5% (a decrease of 1.6 percentage points compared to the end of 2015).

In terms of personnel shortage, the highest shortage rates were recorded in the infrastructure and autonomous vehicle sectors, design and quality management functions, and bachelor's degree education levels.

Industrial technology workforce demand is projected at ▲Autonomous vehicles 11,603 personnel ▲Infrastructure 5,531 personnel. While eco-friendly vehicles account for a high proportion (80.0%), the annual average growth rate is expected to be higher for autonomous vehicles (8.7%).

By job function: ▲Production Technology 42,486 personnel ▲Research and Development 29,170 personnel ▲Testing, Evaluation and Verification 3,393 personnel in that order. Production technology personnel, which will support production and market expansion, is projected to show the highest annual average growth rate (6.1%).

The composition of participating companies in the future automotive industry as of the end of 2018: ▲Green Cars 78% ▲Smart Cars 12.7% ▲Infrastructure 9.3% in that order. Sales revenue was highest for eco-friendly vehicles at 53.1%.

By industry type, the automotive sector accounted for the largest share at 50.9%, followed by ▲Electronics and IT 29.8% ▲Chemistry 9.9% ▲Machinery 4.7% and others. The proportion of participating companies in the product sales and delivery (73.4%) and service operation (15.5%) stages increased compared to the end of 2015, while the proportion of companies in the early business stages such as research planning and research development decreased.

The survey results confirm that the government's strategic new industry development policy leads to industrial growth and job expansion through activation of private investment and convergence between industries. Looking at industrial distribution, with the automotive sector at 50.9% and other industries at 49.1%, active convergence between heterogeneous industries is enabling the industrial structure to transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to eco-friendly vehicles and grow as a promising new industry.

Participating companies are requesting expansion of convergence-based education between heterogeneous industries, establishment of continuous training systems focused on current employees to respond to technology cycles, and expanded field-oriented curriculum operations. Based on the survey results, the Ministry of Industry plans to actively promote workforce mismatch resolution and phased workforce development policies for the future automotive industry.

Meanwhile, the industrial technology workforce survey has been jointly conducted since 2016 by the Industrial Technology Institute and the Industrial Research Institute to identify the rapidly changing workforce structure and current status of future automotive industries such as electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles, which are representative fields of new industries.