Government New Hires Down 64 Percent

State-owned enterprises are expected to recruit 1,800 new employees this year, about 36 percent of that of last year (5,000).

According to 22 major government-invested institutions, including Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Korea National Housing Corporation, they plan to recruit a total of around 1,000 new employees in the second half of the year (July-December).

Even after adding the 800 employees recruited in the first half of this year, the number of new employees this year amounts to a mere 1,800.

Korea Railroad, Korea Minting & Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO), Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation, and four other corporations are not recruiting in the second half at all. Three other institutions – Korea National Oil Corporation, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), and the Korea National Housing Corporation – have yet to decide on the number and the time for the recruitment.

Meanwhile, KEPCO, which recruited 280 people in the first half of this year, will employ an additional 150 people maximum in the coming October.

Korea Highway Corporation, which didn’t recruit in the first half, closed the applications on July 7, and plans to recruit 90 people.

KOTRA also didn’t employ new members in the first half, so it plans to recruit up to 20 people in October. Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO) will recruit about 40 new employees in the second half, up around 10 from last year’s total recruited.

It looks better for the financial sector.

Korea Development Bank (KDB) plans to recruit 60 people, similar to that of last year, after September.

Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com