1. Current Status Overview

From 2014 to 2024, an analysis of the trend in the number of foreign workers by company size in Ansan City showed that small enterprises employed the largest number by far, driving the overall scale. This was followed by medium enterprises, small business owners, and mid-sized enterprises in terms of employment scale. Medium enterprises showed continuous growth until 2023, but in 2024, the number of foreign workers decreased significantly across all company sizes.

2. Detailed Data by Year

Year	Small Enterprises (persons)	Medium Enterprises (persons)	Small Business Owners (persons)	Mid-sized Enterprises (persons)
2014	16,433	7,486	2,883	726
2015	17,317	6,334	3,005	840
2016	19,145	8,385	3,037	870
2017	21,455	7,723	3,051	1,029
2018	17,955	7,280	3,138	1,175
2019	17,682	7,022	3,282	1,251
2020	20,395	8,961	3,642	1,827
2021	20,611	9,324	3,683	1,533
2022	19,229	10,038	3,660	1,526
2023	16,712	11,155	3,714	1,435
2024	9,857	6,575	2,508	900

3. Key Trend Analysis

High Employment Share of Small Enterprises : The number of foreign workers in small enterprises peaked at 21,455 in 2017 and consistently accounted for the highest share among all company sizes. It remained around 20,000 until 2021 (20,611) before declining to 9,857 in 2024.

Continuous Growth of Medium Enterprises (2015–2023) : After hitting a low of 6,334 in 2015, medium enterprises showed a steady upward trend, reaching a peak of 11,155 in 2023. Even during periods when small enterprises reduced their employment scale, medium enterprises continued to expand hiring.

Moderate Changes in Small Business Owners and Mid-sized Enterprises : Small business owners showed a gradual slight increase from 2,883 in 2014 to 3,714 in 2023. Mid-sized enterprises started at 726 in 2014, peaked at 1,827 in 2020, and then entered a decline.

Simultaneous Decline Across All Company Sizes in 2024 : In 2024, the number of foreign workers dropped sharply across all company sizes, including small enterprises (9,857), medium enterprises (6,575), small business owners (2,508), and mid-sized enterprises (900).