"I want to work at SK Hynix rather than Samsung Electronics."
Amid the semiconductor boom, job seekers' preferences for large corporations have shifted. SK Hynix has dethroned Samsung Electronics—which had consistently held the top spot—to become the most desired employer for the first time.
According to a survey of 2,304 adults conducted by career platform Saramin and released on the 16th, SK Hynix ranked first with 20% of responses when asked which large company they most wanted to join.
Samsung Electronics, which had never relinquished the top position since the survey began, came in second with 18.9%—a narrow margin. The growing prominence of the semiconductor industry alongside the expansion of the global artificial intelligence market appears to have driven related companies to the top of employment preferences.
Hyundai Motor ranked third with 7.9%, followed by Naver at 4% and Samsung C&T at 3%. Hanwha Aerospace (2.4%), Ottogi (1.9%), Kakao (1.8%), Samsung Biologics (1.7%), and LG Electronics (1.7%) also made the top ten.
The primary reason job seekers chose SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and Samsung C&T was "high salary." SK Hynix achieved record-breaking results in 2025 with approximately 97.1 trillion won in revenue and 47.2 trillion won in operating profit, posting an operating margin of 49%.
The company's aggressive compensation policy proved compelling to job seekers. Last year, SK Hynix abolished the cap on its profit-sharing (PS) program, previously set at 1,000% of base salary, and reached a labor-management agreement to allocate 10% of operating profit as the funding source. As a result, this year's PS payout reached 2,964% of base salary. Per-capita performance bonuses averaged approximately 140 million won, and when combined with productivity incentives (PI), total bonuses reached an unprecedented 3,264% of base salary.
Meanwhile, the top-ranked companies in the survey are actively conducting open recruitment for new hires. SK Hynix is accepting applications through the 23rd, while Samsung Electronics and Samsung Biologics have deadlines on the 17th. Hanwha Aerospace also announced new graduate recruitment on the 16th and will begin full-scale talent acquisition.
