[InterBattery] "Region or overseas doesn't matter... I can't give up on getting a job at a battery company"

InterBattery Job Fair Opens on the 6th
Strong Employment and Recruitment Interest Despite Local and Overseas Work Locations

Job seekers are waiting for employment consultations at the LG Energy Solution booth installed at the InterBattery Job Fair, which opened on the 6th. Photo by Choi Seoyoon

"Being assigned to regional or overseas locations doesn't really matter. Working in the provinces doesn't mean giving up on employment at the three major battery companies."

This is what graduate student Jeong Dong-ho said on the afternoon of the 6th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the country's largest battery exhibition, 'InterBattery 2024' job fair, was held. Jeong, who is currently enrolled in the master's program in Future Energy Science at Sungkyunkwan University, came to COEX that day to seek employment at battery companies despite the frequent regional or overseas assignments. This is because employment at battery companies, which are continuously growing, was attractive. Jeong said, "Working in the metropolitan area is more appealing, but considering the salary and the company itself, I can work in the provinces as well. I would like to try overseas assignments. Living in small cities abroad might be a burden, but I think I can learn a lot."

The InterBattery job fair featured booths from the three major battery companies?LG Energy Solution, SK On, Samsung SDI?as well as POSCO and the EcoPro Group, attracting 1,879 visitors on the first day alone (according to the Korea Battery Industry Association). The association expects even more visitors and job seekers to flock to the job fair during the remaining days of the exhibition. Each company held employment briefings and one-on-one mentoring sessions. Regardless of whether they were battery cell or material companies, most had production plants or research and development (R&D) facilities located in regional areas. Jobs were available not only in provinces far from the metropolitan area such as Cheongju, Chungju, Cheonan, Pohang, Ulsan, and Gwangyang but also overseas assignments in small to medium-sized cities in the United States, Canada, Poland, and Hungary. Job seekers did not seem to mind.

A graduate student pursuing a PhD in Applied Chemistry, whom we met on site, said, "For research positions, since workplaces are distributed in regional areas, if you are reluctant to live outside the metropolitan area, you cannot work in the battery industry. Most salaries are high, so rather than salary, people are looking for companies that guarantee work-life balance or have a good organizational culture."

Many job seekers also gathered at POSCO Lithium Solutions located in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do. This company converts lithium carbonate, produced in Argentina and imported, into lithium hydroxide used in battery production. A company representative said, "Both the office and production plant are located far from the metropolitan area in Gwangyang, but since most other material and cell companies also operate in regional areas, there don't seem to be many job seekers who feel burdened by the work location."

A job seeker preparing to change jobs after resigning from a domestic battery material company said, "Even if working as a researcher in a large city, there is no time to enjoy the infrastructure." He added, "I prefer companies that provide good welfare and a work environment where employees can demonstrate their abilities rather than focusing on specific regions like the metropolitan area or good infrastructure." Kim Soo-min, a student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Hongik University, said, "The Gyeonggi area is the limit domestically," but also mentioned, "Overseas business sites in Poland or the United States are fine anywhere."

Companies are mainly planning to hire R&D personnel. Jeon Hyun-joo, Senior Member of LG Energy Solution's Overseas Talent Acquisition TFT, said, "We are currently recruiting and focusing on securing R&D personnel this year. Except for a few departments such as quality, marketing, and sales, we are hiring almost exclusively R&D staff. We are always looking for new employees who can work intensely."