The number of foreign workers in the country reached 1.1 million this year, while that of international students who found jobs in the country surged 72%. Shown are international students on Feb. 18 throwing their caps in the air at the graduation ceremony of Keimyung University in Daegu. (Keimyung University)

By Lee Dasom

The number of foreign workers in the country this year has surpassed 1.1 million, while that of international students with jobs soaring 72%.

A report on the residence and employment status of immigrants this year released on Dec. 18 by the Ministry of Data and Statistics found a combined 1,692,000 expats aged 15 or older as of May, up 8.4% year on year.

The number of those with jobs was an estimated 1.1 million, up 9.8% or 99,000.

By industry, mining and manufacturing employed the most expats with 498,000, or 44.9% of the figure, followed by wholesale/retail, accommodation and food service (226,000) and business, personal and public services (148,000).

By nationality, ethnic Koreans from China accounted for the largest group with 341,000, followed by Vietnamese (149,000) and Chinese not of Korean origin (54,000).

By visa status, most employed expats held non-professional jobs with 321,000, followed by overseas Koreans (253,000), permanent residents (123,000), professionals (82,000) and international students (56,000). The latter's number led all other groups in growth with 72% year on year.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign students jumped 18% this year to 236,000. On why they studied in Korea, 34% cited "excellent curriculum," 20.5% "major aligning well with area of interest" and 10.1% "Korean degree helpful in finding a job."

dlektha0319@korea.kr