"Local Trade Industry Labor Shortage, Must Solve by Hiring 'High School Graduate Trade Personnel'"

Martial Arts, Publication of Report on "Current Status and Implications of Training High School Graduate Trade Personnel to Solve Labor Shortage in the Trade Industry"

As the manpower shortage in the regional trade industry intensifies, there is a claim that hiring high school graduate trade personnel based on job roles could be a solution to the manpower shortage.

According to the report titled "Current Status and Implications of Training High School Graduate Trade Personnel to Resolve Manpower Shortage in the Trade Industry," released on the 11th by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) International Trade and Commerce Research Institute, companies show a high willingness to employ 'high school graduate trade personnel' who have completed trade-related courses and gained field training experience.

Korea International Trade Association.

In fact, a survey conducted by the institute in August targeting export companies revealed that 59.6% of companies with experience hiring high school graduate trade personnel expressed willingness to rehire them. Additionally, 87.1% of companies currently experiencing manpower shortages but without prior hiring experience also indicated a willingness to hire, indicating a high potential demand for high school graduate trade personnel.

The main reason cited by respondent companies for deciding to hire such personnel was the 'burden of rising labor costs (61.7%),' but qualitative factors such as 'low turnover rate (36.2%)' and 'proactiveness (19.1%)' were also considered important. In fact, respondent companies evaluated high school graduate trade personnel as having comparative advantages over university graduates in terms of long-term retention and work proactiveness.

Meanwhile, the report advised that schools should flexibly operate subjects such as export-import management, logistics and distribution management, and e-commerce, which are needed in the field, to strengthen students' job competencies. In particular, with the rapid growth of the e-commerce market through platforms like AliExpress, Temu, and Shein, demand for specialized personnel in companies is increasing, but the adoption rate of basic courses is only 6.8%, highlighting the need for support in training personnel in this field.

Park So-young, senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association, emphasized, "The settlement rate of specialized high school graduates in the same region is on average 69%, which can help export companies facing manpower shortages due to population decline and regional extinction." She added, "If schools and local governments expand support and promotion for training high school graduate trade personnel, and companies relax academic requirements and focus on job-based personnel selection, it can lead to beneficial outcomes for schools, companies, and local communities alike."