Samsung is conducting its regular second-half recruitment round for new graduates, pressing ahead with a pledge to hire 60,000 people over five years. Since announcing the large-scale hiring plan in September last year, the group has continued recruiting to secure talent in advanced industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, and to create jobs for young people.
Samsung administered the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) for second-half graduate recruitment over two days on the 24th and 25th. Nineteen affiliates took part, including Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), Samsung Display, Samsung Biologics (207940.KS), Samsung SDI (006400.KS) and Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150.KS). Applications opened in September, and successful candidates will be selected next month after interviews and health screenings. The GSAT has been conducted online since 2020.
In September last year, Samsung said it would hire 60,000 new employees over the following five years, an average of 12,000 a year. The current round is the third regular recruitment drive since that announcement and the second this year. Samsung plans to expand hiring in future growth areas such as semiconductors, AI and biotechnology, aiming to create a virtuous cycle between domestic investment and youth employment. Jay Y. Lee, executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, said at a meeting with business leaders in August last year, "We will continue to make the necessary investments so that we can keep creating quality jobs at home and nurture high value-added industries."
Samsung is the only one of South Korea's four largest conglomerates that still holds regular group-wide recruitment rounds. It introduced the practice in 1957, the first company in the country to do so, marking 70 years this year. Samsung Software & AI Academy for Youth (SSAFY), which the group runs to train young talent, has produced about 11,000 graduates since its launch in 2018, roughly 9,400 of whom have found jobs.
