State-driven skilled migration of South Korean IT professionals to Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number	25K05543
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
Research Institution	Sophia University
Principal Investigator	金一珠上智大学, 国際教養学部, 助教 (80803056)
Project Period (FY)	2025-04-01 – 2028-03-31
Project Status	Granted (Fiscal Year 2025)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000) Fiscal Year 2027: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000) Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
Keywords	Skilled migration / IT industry / South Korea / Japan
Outline of Research at the Start	Examining the skilled migration of workers in information technology (IT) sector from South Korea (henceforth Korea) to Japan, this project illuminates the critical role of the sending country government in steering non-state intermediaries and migrants towards less-than-ideal employment outcomes in the destination country. This project advances theoretical and empirical discussions on the nexus between migrant labor and flexible labor market structures of the host country by shedding light on the role of sending states in constructing ‘supply-driven’ skilled yet flexible labor mobility.