South Korea: 70% of new public sector hires last year were from regional universities

In South Korea, regional public institutions significantly boosted their hiring of local university graduates last year, with 71.3% of new employees hailing from these institutions. This rate more than doubles the legally mandated 35% for regional talent recruitment. The number of such hires rose by 3,229 to 12,742 in 2025, a substantial increase from the previous year's 64.5%.

The Ministry of Education's survey of 184 non-metropolitan public institutions revealed that this trend is a result of several factors. These include an overall expansion of new recruitments within public institutions, a growing pool of qualified regional talent applicants, and a notable improvement in the perception of regional graduates' competitiveness among HR personnel.

"Since 2018, with the mandatory regional talent recruitment centered around public institutions relocated to provincial areas, the perception that regional talent is sufficiently competitive seems to have taken root in each institution," a Ministry of Education official commented. This growing recognition of local talent's capabilities has driven the increased hiring rates.

While 181 out of 184 institutions met the 35% requirement, three institutions, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, the Korea Development Institute, and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, did not. These institutions cited a shortage of regional university graduates with the specialized master's or doctoral degrees they sought. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, in particular, failed to meet the quota for the second consecutive year, explaining that science and technology universities like KAIST are not classified as regional universities, making compliance difficult. The Ministry of Education, however, stated that unless a major is unique to science and technology universities, it does not qualify for an exemption. Currently, there are no specific penalties for non-compliance, but the ministry is discussing ways to more concretely reflect compliance in public institution management evaluations.

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Since 2018, with the mandatory regional talent recruitment centered around public institutions relocated to provincial areas, the perception that regional talent is sufficiently competitive seems to have taken root in each institution.