This file photo from Nov. 20, 2024, shows job seekers checking an employment notice bulletin board at a job fair in Busan, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 23 (Korea Bizwire) — In South Korea, new graduates entering research and development roles earn the highest starting salaries, while those in media and public relations receive the lowest, according to a new analysis by career platform JobPlanet.
JobPlanet analyzed 1.42 million salary records collected from employment insurance data and ranked job categories based on median entry-level salaries. The study found that newcomers in R&D earn a median annual salary of 34.3 million won (approximately $24,700), topping all other fields.
Trailing closely behind were production and manufacturing (34.04 million won), sales and partnerships (33.17 million won), quality and production management (33 million won), engineering (32.48 million won), and software development (32.3 million won).
At the bottom of the rankings, entry-level employees in media and PR roles earned a median of just 28.04 million won. Other lower-paying sectors included design (28.55 million won), marketing and market research (28.8 million won), and customer service (28.93 million won).
“There can be a wage gap of over 6 million won even among employees in their first year,” said a JobPlanet representative. “Providing practical data at the start of a career is essential for informed decision-making.”
The findings underscore the widening salary disparities between technical and creative professions in South Korea’s job market.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
