'Stock Options and Paid Long-Term Leave'... Conditions for a Good Workplace in SMEs

Five Organizations Including KCCI Announce 'Best Small and Medium Enterprises to Work For'
27 SMEs Selected for 4 Consecutive Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] This year, IT and telecommunications industries stood out among the 'Best Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to Work For.' It is evaluated that this reflects the recent trend where performance rewards and guaranteed vacations, such as granting stock options to all employees, long-term paid leave, and support for overseas travel, are considered important working conditions.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with the Korea Employment Information Service, Korea Enterprise Data, Saramin, and Job Planet, selected and announced 633 'Best SMEs to Work For' on the 9th.

Among them, the top SMEs in eight categories were selected as BigTech Co., Ltd., Sendbird Korea, Satrec Eye, ART Plus Co., Ltd., M4 Plus, ECS Telecom, Korea Star Tech Co., Ltd., and Commax Co., Ltd.

The 'Best SMEs to Work For' has been announced annually since 2018 to resolve the manpower mismatch between SMEs and young job seekers. In 2018, 565 companies were selected; in 2019, 639 companies; and in 2020, 586 companies. Among them, 27 companies have had the honor of being selected for four consecutive years since the first announcement.

By region, companies located in Seoul (362) and Gyeonggi (131) accounted for 78% of the total, showing a continued concentration of excellent SMEs in the metropolitan area. They were followed by Daejeon (22), Incheon (21), Busan (16), Chungnam (12), Chungbuk (12), Gyeongnam (10), Gyeongbuk (10), Daegu (10), Gwangju (8), Gangwon (7), Ulsan (4), Jeonbuk (4), Jeonnam (2), Sejong (1), and Jeju (1).

By industry, unlike the previous year, IT and telecommunications (198) surpassed manufacturing and chemicals (185). They were followed by distribution, trade, and transportation (74), services (53), media and design (44), construction (37), medical and pharmaceuticals (20), education (13), and research and consulting (9).

Detailed information about the selected companies can be found on the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 'Best SMEs to Work For' website, and for companies currently recruiting, applications can be submitted with a 'one-click' feature.

Jin Kyung-cheon, head of the SME Welfare Center at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "Until last year, manufacturing companies were the most numerous among the best SMEs to work for, but this year, for the first time, the IT and information and communications industries have overtaken them." He added, "We will continue to discover SMEs that meet the expectations of young job seekers and provide recruitment information to serve as a compass for employment."