Nearly half of South Korea's quantum technology specialists are concentrated in universities and research institutions, raising concerns about workforce imbalances as the industry approaches commercialization.
According to the "2025 Quantum Information Technology White Paper" released Thursday by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA), Korea currently has 1,648 quantum technology specialists, including 694 PhD-level core personnel.
Universities account for the largest share with 800 specialists (48.5%), followed by government-funded research institutes with 506 (30.7%) and private companies with 342 (20.8%). Among PhD-level core personnel, universities hold 327 (47.1%) and research institutes 247 (35.6%), while industry accounts for just 120 (17.3%).
The white paper projects industry will require 882 new quantum specialists over the next decade from 2026 to 2035. By field, quantum computing leads with 429, followed by quantum communications at 310 and quantum sensing at 143. Demand is expected to accelerate as commercialization approaches, with 174 needed in the short term (2026-2027), 285 in the medium term (2028-2030), and 423 in the long term (2031-2035).
Bachelor's degree holders represent the largest demand at 342 (38.8%), followed by master's at 283 (32.1%) and doctoral at 257 (29.1%). However, workforce structures vary significantly by field. Quantum computing and sensing rely heavily on PhD-level researchers, while quantum communications requires more bachelor's-level practitioners—with undergraduate demand (170) double that of master's level (85).
"Across all three fields, master's-level personnel account for approximately 20%, making it a critical challenge to expand the role and supply of mid-level master's degree holders in the industrial workforce," the white paper noted.
The report also identified structural imbalances in the current talent ecosystem. Industry simultaneously requires both bachelor's-level practitioners and PhD-level researchers, but academia is producing a different workforce composition.
The industry demand survey targeted quantum technology business and research departments rather than human resources divisions, providing a more accurate reflection of actual technical workforce needs. However, given the difficulty of generating near-term revenue from quantum technology, actual hiring plans may differ from projected demand.
The white paper acknowledged that limited long-term statistical data remains a constraint, as Korea's quantum workforce ecosystem is still in its early stages.