Samsung Group to begin 2nd-half 2026 open recruitment
A Samsung Electronics proctor conducts a preliminary session for applicants taking the Global Samsung Aptitude Test at the company’s Human Resources Development Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in this April 2026 file photo. Courtesy of Samsung Group
Samsung Group will begin its open recruitment for the second half of 2026 on Tuesday, hiring new employees across 19 affiliates.
According to the group, Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS and other affiliates in the finance, construction and service sectors will hire new recruits through the open recruitment process.
Applicants can submit applications to the affiliates through Samsung Careers, the group’s recruitment website, from Tuesday to Sept. 15. They will go through application screening this month, the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) in October, followed by an interview and a medical check-up in November.
Applicants for software development positions will take a software competency test instead of the GSAT, while those applying for design positions will be evaluated through portfolio reviews.
Samsung did not disclose how many people it plans to hire through the latest recruitment round. However, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong said last year that the group would hire 60,000 people over the next five years, and Samsung plans to recruit about 12,000 people throughout this year, including both new and experienced hires.
Samsung recruits new employees through open recruitment twice a year, once in each half. The group has maintained the system for nearly 70 years since 1957 and is now the only one among Korea’s four major business groups to hold regular open recruitment.
Except for a suspension during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, Samsung has continued the practice through economic downturns while adjusting its format over time.
Most major Korean companies have shifted to rolling recruitment, allowing individual affiliates to hire more flexibly depending on their staffing needs and business conditions.
For job seekers, however, a regular recruitment schedule such as Samsung’s offers greater predictability and more time to prepare, industry officials said. The system has also drawn positive assessments for providing a steady and predictable supply of quality jobs.
“Various Samsung affiliates participate in the open recruitment program to share the value of growth by creating quality jobs for young people and contributing to a virtuous cycle in the national economy,” a Samsung official said.