SEOUL, March 02 (AJP) - Nearly three in ten newly hired university graduates at major South Korean companies last year had prior work experience, reflecting a growing preference for experienced candidates.
According to a survey by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) on major companies' hiring plans for the first half of 2025, released on Sunday, 28.9 percent of newly hired university graduates in 2024 had prior work experience. This marks a 3.2 percentage point increase from 2023, when the proportion stood at 25.7 percent.
Among these experienced new hires, the most common length of prior experience was one to two years, accounting for 50.8 percent. This was followed by six months to one year at 32.2 percent, two to three years at 8.5 percent, more than three years at 5.1 percent, and less than six months at 3.4 percent.
The proportion of experienced hires in major firms' overall recruitment has also increased. In the first half of 2025, experienced hires are expected to make up 31.2 percent of all university graduate recruitments, up 3.1 percentage points from the same period last year.
Companies where experienced hires accounted for more than 50 percent of new recruits made up the largest share at 23.8 percent, a sharp rise from 8.1 percent the previous year
The average starting salary for university graduates at major companies was recorded at 46.69 million won ($31,913.8), an increase of 1.65 million won from 45.04 million won the previous year. The most common salary range was between 45 million and 50 million won at 27.8 percent, followed by 40 million to 45 million won and 50 million to 55 million won, both at 23.8 percent.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
