Samsung Electronics has become the first South Korean company to post quarterly operating profit of 20 trillion won, far surpassing market expectations in the fourth quarter of 2025 and setting new records for both annual revenue and quarterly operating profit. The photo shows Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics has reclaimed its position as the company most South Korean workers want to join, according to a large-scale survey released Sunday, marking its return to the top rank after a three-year absence.
The findings, compiled by the anonymous workplace community platform Blind, analyzed more than 236,000 survey responses collected throughout 2025 for its annual ranking of the country’s 100 most desirable employers.
Samsung Electronics last held the top position in 2022. Many respondents who selected the company were employees of rival firms — particularly LG Electronics — as well as public-sector workers, according to the survey.
Hyundai Motor, which had ranked first for two consecutive years beginning in 2023, fell to sixth place this year. Its affiliate Kia, however, continued its upward climb, rising to second place after ranking eighth in 2023 and fourth in 2024.
Coupang and SK hynix maintained their third- and fifth-place positions, respectively, while Viva Republica, the operator of the fintech platform Toss, moved up three spots to fourth.
The remainder of the top 10 included Hanwha Aerospace, Naver, Hyundai AutoEver and POSCO — reflecting strong interest in semiconductor, automotive, defense manufacturing and information technology firms.
View of employees commuting to Samsung Electronics’ Seocho headquarters (Yonhap)
When the list was expanded to the top 20, a notable number of state-run companies also appeared, including Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Gas Corporation, Korail, Seoul Metro and the National Health Insurance Service. Game developers such as Nexon and Krafton, along with platform and fintech firms including Bithumb, KakaoBank and Karrot, also ranked highly.
Blind analysts said 2025 stood out for particularly strong demand for large manufacturing companies and IT- and finance-based firms, adding that performance-based compensation systems were among the most frequently cited factors driving worker interest.
At the same time, the platform cautioned that sustaining such popularity over the long term remains difficult.
“Only a small number of companies manage to maintain high appeal consistently,” a Blind data analyst said, noting that those firms tend to narrow the gap between internal employee experiences and external expectations — a balance that increasingly defines employer reputation in South Korea’s competitive labor market.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
