Science and engineering students leaving to study abroad has surpassed over 35,000 and the number continues to rise, a report showed on Thursday.

A record 36,914 undergraduate and postgraduate students in natural sciences and engineering went abroad in 2011, up nearly 27 percent on 2008, according to a report submitted to Rep. Park Hon-keun of the opposition Democratic United Party by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The number reached 34,629 in 2010, up from 32,662 in 2009, showing the upward trend, according to the report.

The report says research and study environment are the major determining factors when the students are considering studying abroad, followed by more job opportunities and higher salary jobs.

The report was released Thursday during the parliamentary inspection of the Korea Research Council of Fundamental Science and Technology, which is affiliated with the ministry.

“The problem in the natural sciences and engineering fields is that although at the moment supply is exceeding demand, there is an increasing shortage of high-skilled workers,” the Rep. Park said.

Meanwhile, in another report from Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the DUP Thursday showed that 45 employees of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute have left their work to find a more stable job in the past three years.

According to the report, nearly 80 percent of them were a temporary employee at the state-run agency, which has been developing the country’s first space rocket Naro, suggesting the unstable work force may have linked to the two previous failed rocket launches.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)