Major S. Korean firms reduce number of new young employees
According to the data from corporate tracker CEO Score, the share of employees in their 20s at 67 of the country's top 100 firms with disclosed sustainability reports fell from 24.8 percent in 2022 to 21 percent last year.
In terms of headcount, the number of workers in their 20s declined from 291,235 to 243,737 during the same period, marking a decrease of 47,498.
Samsung Display Co. recorded the largest drop, with the proportion of its 20-something employees falling from 43.8 percent to 28.4 percent over the two years. SK On Co., LG Innotek Co. and Samsung SDI Co. recorded significant drops as well.
Among industry leaders, Samsung Electronics Co. saw the share of employees in their 20s fall from 30.8 percent in 2022 to 24.2 percent in 2024. SK hynix Inc. saw a sharper decline, from 29.6 percent to 20.8 percent.
In contrast, Hyundai Motor Co. saw an increase in workers in their 20s from 20.8 percent to 21.8 percent, while LG Electronics Inc. also reported an increase from 17 percent to 18 percent.
"This trend reflects how companies are increasingly shifting away from large-scale open recruitment and toward hiring practices that favor experienced workers," an official at CEO Score said.
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