South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) has taken a significant step to address the software developer shortage faced by Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by linking them with a large pool of Indian tech talent. On May 26, 2025, the ministry hosted the India SW Talent Matching Festival in the Indian cities of Noida and Pune, bringing together over 100 Korean startups and SMEs with approximately 1,600 Indian software developers, both in-person and online.
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the MSS to alleviate chronic hiring difficulties in the Korean tech sector. According to a 2023 survey, 75.4% of Korean SMEs reported challenges in recruiting and retaining software talent, citing wage disparities with large corporations and a shortage of experienced developers as key obstacles.
The talent matching program, launched in 2024, has already resulted in 206 Indian developers being placed with 41 Korean companies. Of these, 201 are working remotely from India, while five have relocated to South Korea. The ministry aims to facilitate the hiring of more than 200 additional developers this year
To further support this initiative, the MSS has established dedicated “talent desks” in major Indian tech hubs, including Noida, Bengaluru, and, most recently, Pune. These centers are tasked with building a robust talent pool, providing recruitment consulting, and managing ongoing employment relationships. There are also plans to launch an additional desk in eastern India later this year
The festival also saw the signing of new cooperation agreements. The Korea Venture Business Association inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Amity University, one of northern India’s leading private universities, and a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the startup incubator at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. These partnerships are expected to further expand the pipeline of Indian software talent available to Korean ventures.
