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Semiconductor firms to lead new grad hiring as chip supercycle widens recruitment plans

Published: 19 Feb. 2026, 14:05 Updated: 19 Feb. 2026, 14:24

Attendees visit booths at Semicon Korea, an annual semiconductor exhibition, at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]

Korea’s electronics and chip companies are set to lead new college graduate hiring in 2026, a survey showed on Thursday, as a semiconductor supercycle is driving firms to expand recruitment plans.

A total of 84.4 percent of companies in the electronics and chip sector have confirmed plans to hire new recruits this year, the highest rate among the country's main industries, according to a survey released by HR tech firm Incruit.

The survey — conducted among 873 companies, including 102 large corporations, 122 mid-sized firms and 649 small- and medium-sized enterprises — found the sector’s hiring confirmation rate rose 23.8 percentage points from a year earlier.

Incruit said the chip industry has entered a supercycle, with demand growing for high value-added products, leading companies to move early to secure talent.

Construction, civil engineering, real estate and leasing followed with a hiring confirmation rate of 83.3 percent. IT, information and communications and gaming ranked next at 80.5 percent.

Expectations of an economic recovery and an expansion in projects appear to have supported hiring plans in the industries.

By contrast, travel, hospitality and aviation recorded the lowest hiring rate at 56.7 percent. Apparel, footwear and other manufacturing stood at 63.3 percent, while retail and logistics came in at 64.0 percent.

Industries closely tied to the real economy tend to take a more cautious approach to recruitment, reflecting management uncertainty, according to Incruit.

Transportation and automotive and auto parts posted the steepest on-year declines. Transportation fell 4.5 percentage points to 64.3 percent and automotive and auto parts dropped 4.1 percentage points to 66.7 percent, suggesting that slowing industry conditions and rising costs have weighed on hiring plans.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]