2024 National Technical Qualification Statistical Yearbook Published
'Human Engineering Technician' Increased by 158.1% Compared to Previous Year
'Safety Management' Field Popular
Last year, the number of applicants for the national technical qualification exams reached approximately 2.32 million, marking a 10.7% increase from the previous year. Notably, the number of applicants in the safety management field recorded an all-time high, indicating growing popularity.
On the 27th, the Korea Industrial Human Resources Corporation published the "2024 National Technical Qualification Statistical Yearbook," which contains the status of last year's national technical qualification exams. The total number of applicants for the written exams of the national technical qualification and the process-assessment type qualifications last year was 2,317,887, an increase of 10.7% (223,169 applicants) compared to the previous year. The number of qualification holders was 750,499, up 1.5% (11,401 people) from the previous year.
The safety management field stood out as the most preferred qualification, recording the highest number of applicants ever.
Over the past five years, the qualification with the highest growth rate in applicants was the "Human Factors Engineer." The number of applicants for the Human Factors Engineer exam was only 1,109 in 2019 but surged to 5,494 in 2023, growing at an average annual rate of 49.2%. Compared to the previous year (2,129 applicants), this represents a remarkable 158.1% increase. This popularity is interpreted as being due to the qualification granting the right to be appointed as a safety manager under the Industrial Safety and Health Act. The Industrial Safety Engineer exam also saw a record high number of 80,253 applicants.
Other qualifications that recorded the highest number of applicants by grade were mostly related to safety. Specifically, these included ▲Fire Technology Engineer (2,964 applicants) ▲Construction Safety Engineer (2,934 applicants) ▲Hazardous Materials Technician (7,531 applicants) ▲Gas Technician (2,414 applicants) ▲Energy Management Technician (1,839 applicants) ▲Construction Safety Engineer (34,908 applicants) ▲Industrial Safety Technician (38,901 applicants) ▲Hazardous Materials Industrial Technician (31,065 applicants) ▲Forklift Operator Technician (110,279 applicants) ▲Electrician Technician (60,239 applicants), all of which recorded their highest ever applicant numbers. Among these, the only qualification not related to safety was the Forklift Operator Technician.
Record High Number of Applicants Aged 50 and Over
Regarding the age distribution of applicants, those in their 20s accounted for the largest share at 41.4% (953,968 applicants), followed by those in their 30s (17.5%), 50 and over (14.1%), teens (13.6%), and 40s (13.4%).
Notably, applicants aged 50 and over increased by 22.2% from the previous year, reaching an all-time high. The qualification most frequently taken by this age group was the Forklift Operator Technician (25,694 applicants). This was followed by the Korean Cuisine Cook Technician (20,459 applicants) and Electrician Technician (17,013 applicants). Additionally, many applicants aged 60 and over took the Landscape Technician exam.
By qualification level, technicians accounted for the largest share at 40.7%, followed by engineers (23.5%), service (22.5%), industrial engineers (11.1%), professional engineers (1.1%), and master technicians (1.1%). In particular, the number of engineer-level applicants reached a record high of 543,849.
Interest in newly established qualifications was also high. In the second year since its introduction, the Confectionery and Baking Industrial Engineer exam had 2,134 applicants, and the e-Learning Operations Manager exam, introduced this year for the first time, had 1,063 applicants.
Lee Woo-young, Director of the Corporation, stated, "To respond promptly to the rapidly changing labor market, we will accelerate the digital transformation of national technical qualification data. Through big data-based exam operations, we will improve public services and take the lead in enhancing national competitiveness."
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