Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have been facing a severe labour shortage and the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Canada are two typical examples.
Germany and Canada have just announced plans to ease regulations for migrant workers. The world's major economies have been competing to attract more foreign workers, to fill the “gap” in human resources, that has been negatively affecting the post-pandemic economic recovery.
The “heat” from the labour shortage has continued to spread to many continents, from Asia to Europe, and seriously hindered the economic recovery, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The labour market maintained its recovery and stable growth in the first half of 2026, with the employment figure rising to 52.6 million, up 672,500 from a year earlier, and unemployment and underemployment staying at low levels, reported the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance.