Battery Giants Face Skills Gap That Could Jam Electric Highway

The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.

The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery giants powering many of the world's electric vehicles face a skills shortage that could drag on the global race towards zero-emissions transport. The country's three major players, which command a third of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, told Reuters they were all grappling with a shortage of research and engineering specialists as demand for the technology balloons. LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI Co Ltd all rank in the top-six global battery makers, and supply the likes of Tesla Inc, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co among others. Yet they are facing growing demands from big automakers and can't find enough technicians with the training needed to keep advancing cutting-edge tech such as solid-state batteries. "Although we are seeing such a growth in the industry, it appears that we are facing a shortage of talent," an official at LGES said. "It is crucial to recruit external talents as well as nurturing our own talent." This was echoed by its two big domestic rivals, with SK On describing the sector's expansion as "exponential". Indeed the global battery sector has doubled in size over the past five years and South Korea is short of almost 3,000 graduate degree-level positions in areas such as research and design, according to the most recent data from the Korea Battery Industry Association, from late 2020. LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI currently have a total of about 19,000 employees.The South Korean battery