South Korea held a large-scale job fair in Seoul to give foreign companies a chance to attract talents here and offer international students an opportunity to land a decent job in the country, the industry ministry said Monday.

The 2023 Global Talent Fair, hosted by the industry and labor ministries, kicked off the same day for a two-day run, which brought together 382 domestic and foreign companies doing business here, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It is the largest number of companies for a single job exhibition, it added.

The companies set up booths to have consultations and interviews with jobseekers, and provide them with the latest information on relevant industries and foreign employment.

Of the 382 companies, 168 are foreign-invested firms, including Applied Materials Korea Inc., Umicore Korea Ltd. and 3M Korea Ltd., and 114 are foreign entities, such as Expedia of Malaysia, Japan’s Pasona and Tide Solution of the United Arab Emirates.

The remaining 100 companies are South Korean firms hoping to hire foreign students studying here, which includes SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier; SK Bioscience Co., a major pharmaceutical company; and POSCO Future M Co., a leading chemical manufacturer, according to the ministry.

Some 30 percent of the participating companies are in the service and media fields, and 28 percent in the manufacturing and research and development sectors. Other companies are in the IT, communication and retail sectors.

“The government will make strenuous efforts to help global companies hire outstanding workers and create decent jobs here,” Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang said at the opening ceremony.

Source: Yonhap News Agency