Wage workers make up largest share at 37.1%; those in their 20s account for 32.0%
Engineer-grade test-takers prefer information processing; employed prefer industrial safety
Human Resources Development Service publishes exam survey as government-approved statistics
![The Human Resources Development Service of Korea's national qualification examination center in Seoul [Human Resources Development Service of Korea]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/30/news-p.v1.20250905.7fdac3fe573a49a892bf4231f5f18503_P1.jpg)
About four in 10 people who sat for national technical qualification exams last year did so to find employment, a new survey shows. Wage workers made up the largest share of test-takers by employment type, while the number of job seekers and self-employed respondents each posted double-digit growth from the previous year.
The Human Resources Development Service of Korea published the findings Wednesday in its "2026 National Technical Qualification Exam Taker Basic Survey." The report analyzes survey responses from 1,856,264 people who sat for written national technical qualification exams last year after registering.
Employment was the most commonly cited reason for pursuing a qualification, at 38.5%. Self-development came second at 25.8%, followed by improving job performance at 12.6%. Together, these three motivations accounted for 76.9% of all responses.
By employment type, wage workers made up the largest share at 37.1%, followed by students at 29.8% and job seekers at 19.5%. The figures suggest that demand for national technical qualifications is driven not only by those seeking work but also by employed individuals looking to build their skills.
The total number of survey respondents rose by 99,707, or about 5.7%, from 1,756,557 in 2024. By employment type, the self-employed recorded the sharpest increase at 14.9%, while job seekers were up 11.7%. Homemakers, by contrast, fell 5.5%.
By age group, those in their 20s accounted for the largest share at 32.0%, followed by those in their 30s at 19.2%, teenagers at 15.6%, those in their 40s at 14.3%, those in their 50s at 12.9%, and those 60 and older at 6.0%. People aged 40 and above collectively made up 33.2% of respondents.
By qualification grade, the craftsman level accounted for more than half of respondents at 52.7%. The engineer grade followed at 29.5% and the industrial engineer grade at 12.3%, with the service sector at 2.6%, professional engineer at 1.5% and master craftsman at 1.4%. Among grade categories, the service sector posted the highest year-on-year growth in respondents at 21.2%, while the craftsman and engineer grades rose 7.0% and 5.2%, respectively.
Preferred exam subjects varied by employment status and age. Among engineer-grade candidates, job seekers and students ranked information processing first, while employed test-takers favored industrial safety. By age, those in their 20s preferred information processing; those in their 30s and 40s favored industrial safety; and those in their 50s and 60s and older ranked electrical engineering first.
At the craftsman level, employed workers, the self-employed and job seekers all ranked forklift operation as their top choice. By age, cosmetology (general) was the most popular subject among teenagers, while forklift operation topped the list for every age group from the 20s through 60s and older. In the service sector, vocational counselor level 2 was the most preferred qualification among both job seekers and employed test-takers.
Among motivations for taking the exam, self-development recorded the highest growth in respondents at 7.9%, followed by qualification allowances at 6.9% and degree acquisition at 6.7%.
The exam taker survey has been designated as government-approved statistics starting this year. The agency said the designation strengthens its ability to systematically track test-taker characteristics and trends, and to use that data to inform qualification policy and workforce development in industry.
"We will work to enhance the policy utility of national technical qualifications through the production and analysis of reliable statistics, and to support the development of people's capabilities and the training of workers in industry," said Lee Byung-hoon, president of the agency. The statistical data is available through the Q-Net resource library.
fact0514@heraldcorp.com
