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Samsung Group, Korea's top conglomerate, said yesterday it will increase hiring 20.2 percent this year, raising hopes that other companies will follow suit and ease the country's lengthy job drought. The group plans to recruit 5,000 people in the second half, on top of 3,060 hired in the first, bringing its yearly employment target to 8,060, up from 6,700 in 2003. Samsung said that primarily its fast-growing electronics, machinery and materials businesses will absorb the new workers with Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest computer-memory chipmaker, requiring 3,150 hires. The leading conglomerate's aggressive recruiting plan added to last week's upbeat survey results from Incruit, an online recruiting firm. The company said Samsung and nine top industrial groups will likely increase their combined hiring by 18.2 percent in the second half from the year-earlier period to 8,698. Korea's job market has remained in the doldrums as local companies have scaled back their investment plans amid lingering economic uncertainties at home and abroad. The nation's booming exports have also failed to translate to brisk hiring, which is considered the key to increasing household income and reviving domestic demand. State data showed that Korea's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.6 percent in July from 3.5 percent in June. The problem is more pronounced among young adults aged 15 to 29, for whom the jobless rate has reached 7.6 percent. The Roh Moo-hyun government is eager to improve the job situation, particularly among the college graduates majoring in science and engineering, a field in which job conditions are relatively poor. In yesterday's announcement, Samsung said more than half of its new recruits will cover the science and engineering field. The portion of women workers will also climb from 27 percent last year to 30 percent by the end of 2004 with about 2,400 hires, the group said. Meanwhile, Incruit's poll showed that among 416 companies listed on the main Korea Stock Exchange, 338 companies, excluding the top 10 conglomerates and state enterprises, plan to trim their employment by 10.6 percent in the second half.
※ 출 처 : www.koreaherald.com (주) 디지털 헤럴드 |
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