Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Leading conglomerates roll out massive recruitment drives
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, third from left, meets participants of the company's training program in Gwangju, Aug. 20, 2019. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Lee Gyu-lee
Major conglomerates, including Samsung, POSCO, HD Hyundai, SK and Hanwha, are launching a massive recruitment drive, signaling a rare hiring push with plans to bring on tens of thousands of new employees as they pivot to growth sectors and address the stagnating youth employment rate.
Samsung has taken a bold step, announcing Thursday that it will hire 60,000 new workers over the next five years, or around 12,000 annually.
The tech giant said the new positions will be concentrated in critical sectors such as semiconductors, biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI), areas that are positioned to be growth engines for the company.
It will also expand internship programs that lead to full-time jobs for university students and bolster its long-running training initiatives, such as the Samsung Youth SW (Software) and AI Academy, which has trained more than 8,000 people since 2018 with a job placement rate of about 85 percent.
Currently, 19 affiliates — including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and Samsung Biologics — are conducting companywide open recruitment for the second half of the year.
POSCO Group has also announced it will hire 15,000 employees over the next five years, beginning with 3,000 this year.
The group is broadening its recruitment beyond steelmaking into AI, safety and research and development, while extending its groupwide recruitment process, currently led by POSCO and POSCO International, to include more of its affiliates.
It is also seeking to expand its internship and education initiatives to develop skills in young people and contribute to sustainable youth job creation.
HD Hyundai's 2,400-ton offshore patrol vessel is seen during a launch ceremony at the company's headquarters in Ulsan, June 11. Courtesy of HD Hyundai
HD Hyundai is making a similar move, announcing plans to hire around 10,000 new employees in five years across its 19 affiliates in shipbuilding, construction machinery, energy and other sectors. It will recruit 1,500 positions this year, with the groupwide entry-level recruitment process for the second half of this year currently underway.
The company recruitment strategy will focus on securing research and development professionals for future growth engines such as eco-friendly technology, digital smart solutions and its hydrogen and bio businesses.
Meanwhile, SK Group has pledged to bring in an additional 4,000 new employees by December, bringing this year’s total new hires to around 8,000.
The recruitment strategy focuses on AI, semiconductors and digital transformation, key areas for the group. SK hynix is expanding its workforce in semiconductor design, device engineering, manufacturing and research and development with plans to place thousands of new hires at the upcoming semiconductor cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
The group’s affiliates are also planning to recruit young professionals across various business sectors in line with its future strategic projects, including SK AI Data Center Ulsan, which is scheduled to open in 2027.
To bolster its pipeline of talent, SK is investing heavily in training platforms such as SK mySUNI and specialized courses in AI and semiconductor skills.
Hanwha Group is increasing hiring across its defense, aerospace, shipbuilding and financial services businesses. It will add more than 3,500 new employees in the second half of the year, expanding from 2,100 positions in the first half to a total of 5,600 new recruits this year.