Hyundai Motor Co. factory in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Motor Co. has announced plans to hire new factory workers for the first time in a decade, and the news has caused a stir among not just unemployed job seekers, but also public servants and those who already have stable jobs at state-run firms and large private companies.
Last month, the carmaker said that it would be hiring 700 factory workers during the period from 2023-2024. It will be the first time for the company to hire new factory workers since April 2013.
Despite a decrease in demand for new workers resulting from a shift to automation, Hyundai management decided to accept the labor union’s request to hire new workers.
The company’s new staffing plan has broken down traditional barriers and opens the door to a variety of candidates, eliminating limitations on age, education and career experience.
As a result, online communities are already inundated with inquiries from eager job seekers looking for more information.
Among those who are expected to apply for the new jobs are many employees of public companies or conglomerates such as Samsung, SK and LG in the cities where Hyundai factories are located.
The average annual salary of Hyundai’s production workers is estimated at about 100 million won (US$81,400), and they can also get a discount of 25 percent even after retirement when they purchase Hyundai cars.
Amid concerns about job reductions due to the economic slump, the competition ratio for Hyundai’s production jobs is expected to exceed 500 to 1, similar to the level recorded when the carmaker’s affiliate Kia Corp. hired new production workers in 2021.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
