Instead of Open Recruitment, Frequent Hiring... Large Companies Reduced Hiring of People in Their 20s by 47,000.

[Financial News] The number of employed people increased by 183,000 in June, continuing a trend of over 100,000 increases for six consecutive months, but youth employment has been on a decline for over a year. In particular, the number of employees in their 20s at large companies has decreased by nearly 50,000 over the past two years, clearly reflecting the employment insecurity among the youth within companies.
 According to the 'June Employment Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 16th, the employment rate for young people aged 15-29 last month was 45.6%, a decrease of 1.0 percentage points compared to the same month last year. This is the lowest figure since 2021 based on the same month of the previous year. The number of employed young people decreased by 173,000 over the past year, with the decline among those in their 20s exceeding 150,000. The youth employment rate has been declining for 14 consecutive months.
 Changes in corporate structure also support the contraction of youth employment.
 According to an analysis by CEO Score, a corporate data research institute, of 67 companies that disclosed sustainability management reports among the top 100 companies by sales, the number of employees in their 20s at these companies decreased from 291,235 in 2022 to 243,737 in 2024, a decrease of 47,498 over two years. The proportion of employees in their 20s compared to the total number of employees decreased from 24.8% to 21.0%, a decrease of 3.8 percentage points. During the same period, the number of employees aged 30 and over increased by more than 35,232, creating a contrast. It seems that middle-aged employees are filling the positions left by young workers.
 There are signs that the aging of the workforce within companies is becoming entrenched, with measures such as extending retirement age and expanding frequent hiring focused on technical positions.
 Looking at individual companies, Samsung Display saw the largest decrease, with the proportion of employees in their 20s dropping from 43.8% to 28.4%, a sharp decline of 15.4 percentage points. SK On (-12.3%p), LG Innotek (-8.9%p), SK Hynix (-8.8%p), and Samsung SDI (-7.9%p) also saw a decrease in the proportion of employees in their 20s, mainly in advanced manufacturing industries.
 On the other hand, Hanwha Aerospace, which benefited from the defense industry boom, saw the proportion of employees in their 20s increase from 7.5% to 15.8%, more than doubling. Some companies, such as LX International (+6.7%p), SK Energy (+5.3%p), and Samsung E&A (+5.2%p), also expanded hiring of young people.
 The major affiliates of the four major groups also show mixed results. Samsung Electronics saw the proportion of employees in their 20s decrease from 30.8% to 24.2%, and SK Hynix from 29.6% to 20.8%. In contrast, Hyundai Motor (20.8%→21.8%) and LG Electronics (17.0%→18.0%) slightly increased their proportions.
 Jowonman, CEO of CEO Score, analyzed, "The reduction in regular open recruitment and the shift to frequent and experienced-based hiring methods seem to have acted as a burden on youth employment."

spring@fnnews.com Lee Bomi reporter