Labor ministry opens job fair for young Koreans returning from overseas work

The labor ministry said Thursday it will hold a job fair for young Koreans who have worked abroad, bringing 45 domestic companies together with applicants in Seoul as it seeks to connect overseas employment programs to a new domestic re-entry scheme.

The 2026 Global Career Restart Job Fair, organized with the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, opened at the Le West Hall on the fourth floor of Coex Magok in Seoul. The participating companies are hiring for roles in hotel services, overseas sales, information and communications, management and office administration.

Over the past five years, from 2021 through 2025, about 26,000 young Koreans found work and growth opportunities overseas, according to the ministry.

"We will widen the links in support so that young people can meet broader opportunities not only when they go abroad but also after they return, from overseas employment through to finding work again in Korea," said Lim Young-mi, director of the ministry's employment policy office.

A program set up last year to help those returnees back into the domestic labor market drew 970 young people in 2025. It offers mentoring from people who have already used overseas experience to build careers, consulting with specialists and one-on-one mock interviews.

At the fair, attendees can receive individual employment counseling, attend special lectures and take part in AI-run mock interviews. Image consulting and professional job photographs are also available on site.

After the opening ceremony, eight young people including three mentors who successfully returned to domestic jobs will meet officials in a discussion session. The ministry said the views raised there will be reflected in its overseas employment support policy.

Lee Byung-hoon, chairman of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, said time spent abroad is not a gap in a career but a distinctive starting point. "We will be a strong partner so that young people can fully demonstrate the experience and capabilities they built overseas here in Korea as well," he said.