Sk hynix adds over 2,000 jobs as AI chip demand grows despite Korea’s broader hiring slowdown

SK hynix added more than 2,000 positions last year amid the global AI boom, which has led to a sharp rise in demand for memory chips, industry sources said Sunday.

The hiring is noteworthy as it comes amid the overall slowdown in the country's job market.

According to the sources, the number of employees at SK hynix came to 34,549 as of the end of 2025, up 2,159 from a year earlier.

Over the same period, the number of employees at Samsung Electronics' device solutions division, which covers its chip business, fell slightly to 78,064 from 78,699.

The total chip-related workforce at the two tech giants stood at 112,613 as of the end of last year, up 1,554 from a year earlier.

The overall increase came amid an unprecedented boom in demand for AI infrastructure, with the semiconductor industry anticipating continued growth in employment at major chipmakers.

Industry watchers, however, expressed concern over an uneven "K-shaped" disparity in the job market, in which only a limited number of industries are experiencing employment growth.

In May, Korea lost 40,000 jobs from a year earlier, marking the first decline in 17 months as the impact of the prolonged war in the Middle East weighed on the manufacturing sector.

"Currently, Korean industries are in a slump, with the exception of a few sectors, such as semiconductors," said Yang Jun-sok, a professor of economics at the Catholic University of Korea.

"The disparity in manufacturing employment will worsen further as automation accelerates following the adoption of robots," he added, noting the country needs improved labor market flexibility through structural reform.

Yonhap