A view of downtown Seoul with clusters of corporate buildings. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s biggest conglomerates are ramping up hiring in a coordinated move to bolster future growth sectors and answer government calls for job creation, unveiling plans that together run into tens of thousands of new positions.
Samsung Group, the country’s largest business empire, said Thursday it will recruit 60,000 employees over the next five years, concentrating on semiconductors, biotechnology and artificial intelligence — fields that Seoul has identified as pillars of the nation’s next economic chapter.
Nineteen affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and Samsung Biologics, are currently hiring. Samsung has operated a groupwide open recruitment system for entry-level staff since 1957 and said it will continue offering internships to give young candidates hands-on experience before hiring them full time.
Samsung Electronics’ Seocho building in Seoul (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SK Group, the nation’s second-largest conglomerate, said it will add 4,000 more jobs by year-end, matching the number already created in the first half. The hires will target professionals in artificial intelligence and digital transformation, areas central to SK’s strategy as it prepares to open a vast semiconductor cluster in Yongin by 2027.
Hyundai Motor Group, aiming to rebrand itself as a global mobility solutions provider, plans to take on 7,200 workers this year and lift recruitment to 10,000 next year.
Hanwha Group, whose portfolio spans chemicals, defense and shipbuilding, said it will hire 3,500 workers in the second half, a two-thirds increase from the first six months. About 2,500 of those positions will go to its defense arms — Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems — underscoring the group’s growing focus on weapons exports.
POSCO Group, South Korea’s top steelmaker, said it intends to generate 15,000 jobs over the next five years, while expanding its 2025 recruitment goal to 3,000, up from the 2,600 previously announced.
Taken together, the pledges highlight both the scale of South Korea’s corporate jobs drive and the sectors that are set to shape its industrial future: chips, AI, biotechnology, mobility and defense. They also reflect the government’s appeal to the chaebol to leverage their global competitiveness in ways that reinforce the domestic labor market.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
