Issue Accelerating automation and high-productivity restructuring to offset labour shortages in Korea

Summary

KEIS argues that the more low fertility and ageing tighten labour supply, the faster technological change such as AI and automation must advance. It calls for a rapid transition of the industrial structure toward high value added and high productivity. Manufacturing should move to data-based production through digital transformation, while services should develop new offerings. The report defines the new-skill workforce required in a data economy as people with digital capabilities grounded in industrial technology and data. Building the foundations to train such high-quality workers is therefore presented as a precondition for sustaining output with fewer workers.