We use LinkedIn-based online profile data to comprehensively analyze the scale, wages, and mobility of AI workers in Korea. Based on data covering about 1.1 million workers with work experience in Korea since 2010 and more than 10 million job histories, we identify AI workers who possess at least one AI skill—information that is difficult to capture using more traditional labor market data—and provide a multilayered view of the AI workforce in Korea.
The number of AI workers in Korea has grown rapidly over the past decade, estimated at about 57,000 in 2024. They are predominantly by highly educated workers, with master’s and doctoral degree holders accounting for 58%, and 64% of them majored in engineering. We find evidence that the AI workforce has expanded across industries and occupations, consistent with AI technology becoming increasingly general-purpose.
The wage premium of possessing AI skills has trended upward and was about 6% in 2024. This suggests an excess demand for AI expertise in the Korean labor market. However, compared to major developed countries such as the United States (about 25%), the wage premium remains at a relatively low level, indicating relative weakness in attracting talent globally.
AI workers are characterized by high turnover rates and persistent overseas outflows, resulting in high labor mobility. AI workers are estimated to have a 27-percentage-point higher probability of working abroad, and as of 2024, about 16% (11,000) of the AI workforce is employed overseas.
Most companies (69.0% of large companies, 68.7% of midsize companies) plan to hire more AI workers, but they face difficulties in securing AI workers due to a lack of experienced workers and high salary expectations. Therefore, the wage premium of AI workers is expected to rise further in the near future as firms compete to attract AI talent.
AI talent policies need to create compensation systems and research-industrial ecosystems that meet global standards to secure international competitiveness and systematically construct career development paths so that excellent talents can flow and settle in Korea.