More than half of South Korean job seekers say they are willing to accept positions at any company amid growing economic uncertainty. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Korean job seekers say they are willing to accept positions at any company amid growing economic uncertainty, according to a new survey released on February 3.
Career platform Saramin found that 55.2% of 464 entry-level job seekers surveyed said they would work “anywhere that offers employment,” abandoning preferences for specific types of companies.
The remaining respondents preferred small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups (15.1%), mid-sized companies (12.1%), public corporations (8.4%), large conglomerates (7.3%), and foreign companies (1.9%).
The primary reason for this flexible approach was “needing to find employment quickly” (55.1%), followed by “exhaustion from prolonged job hunting” (39.1%), “lacking competitive advantages compared to others” (31.3%), and “reduced hiring due to poor economic conditions” (28.5%).
Among those who still maintained specific company preferences, salary was the top consideration (24%), followed by work-life balance (14.4%), employee benefits (13.9%), career development opportunities (12%), job security (10.6%), corporate culture (9.6%), and office location (6.3%).
The survey revealed that job seekers’ average desired base salary, excluding performance bonuses, was 33.94 million won. The majority aimed for salaries between 25-30 million won (36.2%) or 30-35 million won (30.8%), with smaller percentages seeking 35-40 million won (17.2%), 40-45 million won (6.9%), and 45-50 million won (4.1%).
However, the study also found that 37.3% of respondents planned to prepare for a job change even if they secured a position at their target company. These individuals expected to begin looking for new opportunities after an average of 1.8 years of employment.
A significant 90.2% planned to seek new employment within three years, with the most common timeframes being 1-1.5 years (19.7%) and 2.5-3 years (19.7%).
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
