'Responsibility, communication among top qualities sought in new hires'
A recent survey has revealed that over half of South Korean companies are shifting their focus when evaluating job candidates, placing greater emphasis on personal qualities like responsibility and communication skills, than traditional credentials.
According to the survey conducted by job-search platform Saramin, 58 percent of responding companies said the qualities they prioritize when selecting new hires are different from the ones they looked for before the 2020s. The tendency was stronger at large firms, with 70.6 percent of the companies with 300 or more employees saying so. The survey was conducted on 231 companies across South Korea
When asked why their standards have changed, 50 percent said it was "because the younger generation of workers have different characteristics than in the past," followed by "in order to respond to a rapidly-changing business environment" (26.9 percent), "due to changes in work methods" (20.1 percent), and "due to changes in social and cultural perception" (18.7 percent). The respondents were allowed to pick multiple answers.
"Responsibility," picked by 31.3 percent of the respondents, topped the list of important employee qualities, followed by "communications ability" picked by 30.6 percent. "Positive attitude (26.1 percent)," "adaptability to the organization (23.1 percent)," "Professional expertise (23.1 percent)," "diligence (20.1 percent)" were also among popular qualities.
"The 2020s marked the time when the working environment (of Korea) changed due to the (COVID-19) pandemic and digitalization of the office. The introduction of the generation into the workforce also affected spreading of a new working culture," Saramin said. "People who can do their job immediately upon being hired ares more sought after than ever."
About 79.7 percent said that they have actually rejected a job applicant who have substantial credentials, but lack the qualities that they were looking for.
Conversely, 84 percent of the companies said they hired an applicant who had the right qualities but lacked credentials.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Editorial] Focus on jobs](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Focus on jobs
Economic cost of discouraged youth estimated at 44 trillion won over 5 years The economic cost of young people who "just rested" while not actively seeking employment is estimated to have totaled 44.5 trillion won ($31.8 billion) for the five years spanning 2019 to 2023, according to a Federation of Korean Industries study on Monday. The cost was calculated on the assumption that they missed out on earning about 80 percent of the wages that employed youth earned. The population of young Koreans aged 15-29 shrank by 870,000 over the same span, while the number of "discouraged youth" increased from 360,000 to 400,000. The number of college graduates who just rested and their share in discouraged youth are noteworthy: They increased in both cases — from 132,500 to 153,400 and from 36.8 percent to 38.3 percent. In February, the number of discouraged youth topped 500,000 for the first time. The problem is not that young people are not willing to work, but that there are not enough jobs for them. According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 manufacturing companies across the country by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, over 80 percent of them were struggling for a limited share of demand in a "red ocean." About 60 percent could not afford to make new business plans. Manufacturers have historically propped up the South Korean economy, but they are in a dire situation where they dare not increase employment. Young people prefer to work at large companies, but there is a limited number of such decent jobs. To make matters worse, large companies want mostly experienced workers. This discourages many college-educated people. About 140,000 job openings were posted in the first half of the year, and 82 percent of them sought experienced staff. Less than 3 percent were set aside for job seekers without experience. Last year, college graduates accounted for 41 percent of discouraged youth, marking their largest portion on record. This, too, was attributable to companies looking for experienced staff. Labor market rigidity, which the older generation has maintained to protect their vested interests, is another problem. The seniority-based salary system and militant labor unions, coupled with pro-labor government policies, have made it difficult for companies to flexibly adjust the cost of retaining employees. These conditions make companies reluctant to expand employment. Furthermore, the older generation is even demanding that the statutory retirement age be raised to 65. According to a Bank of Korea study comparing employment among the older and younger generations after the retirement age was raised to 60 in 2016, the addition of one worker to the older group aged 55-59 led to a decrease of 0.4 to 1.5 young workers during the 2016-2024 period. A further extension of the retirement age is likely to expand the pool of discouraged youth. The average age at which a college graduate first joins a company surpassed 30 a few years ago. This was largely attributable to a tighter job market and higher qualification barriers for securing stable, regular jobs. With employment preparation taking longer, the number of discouraged youth has increased. Worse yet, the situation of young people shows no signs of improving. Last month, the number of discouraged youth reached 420,000, an all-time high for the month of July. The Korea Development Institute, one of the nation's leading think tanks, forecast that annual employment growth will contract from 160,000 jobs last year to 150,000 this year and 110,000 next year. Structural reform cannot be put off any longer. The basis of the salary system should be changed from seniority to merit. Flexibility in the labor market should be increased. Debates on raising the retirement age might as well be put on hold until youth employment conditions improve. These steps are not only for young people but also for the sustained growth of the Korean economy. Yet the government seems more interested in strengthening the rights of labor than in creating jobs. To stem the tide of discouraged youth, it needs to offer incentives for youth employment.
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee to meet Bill Gates to discuss global health issues, collaboration
President Lee Jae Myung plans to meet Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, in Seoul on Thursday, the presidential office said Wednesday. Gates, who has spearheaded initiatives on climate change, poverty reduction and global health through the foundation, is visiting South Korea to reportedly explore cooperation with Korean pharmaceutical companies on a vaccine supply project for low-income countries. During the meeting at the presidential office, the two are expected to discuss global health issues and potential collaboration in the sector, according to officials. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
16 hours ago
- Korea Herald
HD KSOE acquires Doosan Vina at W290b
Shipbuilding giant looks to bolster production of independent tanks to maximize profitability of eco-friendly vessels HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, an intermediary holding firm of Korean shipbuilding conglomerate HD Hyundai, said Wednesday that it has signed a deal with Doosan Enerbility to acquire the latter's Vietnamese company, Doosan Vina, in order to expand its lineup of eco-friendly vessels. According to HD KSOE, it agreed to buy out Doosan Enerbility's 100 percent stake in Doosan Vina at a price of 290 billion won ($207 million). Doosan Enerbility said it will utilize the 290 billion won it secures from the deal to expand facilities in core businesses, such as small modular reactors and gas turbines, which are seeing rapid growth in demand amid the increasing need for energy and carbon reduction across the globe. Doosan Vina, which was established in 2006 in the Dung Quat Economic Zone of Quang Ngai Province, Central Vietnam, has manufactured boilers for thermal power plants, port cranes and modules for liquefied natural gas plants. HD KSOE plans to carry on the existing business of Doosan Vina while utilizing the newly acquired site as a regional foothold to build independent tanks and port cranes for the Asian region. An independent tank is a key component in eco-friendly vessels such as LNG-fueled vessels, liquefied petroleum gas carriers, ammonia carriers and liquefied carbon dioxide carriers. 'This deal was able to be finalized as it fulfills the interests of both companies, backed by the government's cooperation and support,' said an HD KSOE official. 'As we have expanded our production capacity of eco-friendly equipment, we plan to maximize profitability by bolstering our lineup of globally competitive eco-friendly vessels."
