Recruitment Platform JinHakSa Catch Survey
Top Desired Employers: 'High Salary Companies' Ranked 1st
By Size: Large Corporations - Mid-sized Companies - Public Institutions & State-owned Enterprises
The desired starting salary level for Generation Z new job seekers was found to be 48 million KRW.
According to a survey conducted by the recruitment platform JinHakSa Catch from the 9th to the 20th targeting a total of 1,578 Generation Z job seekers and released on the 27th, the average amount for the open-ended question "Desired starting salary in 2025" was 48 million KRW. By company size, those wishing to work for large corporations hoped for an average of 50 million KRW, while mid-sized and small companies hoped for 40 million KRW and 42 million KRW respectively. Foreign companies were at 54 million KRW, and public institutions and government enterprises were at 43 million KRW.
Among Generation Z, 61% prefer to join large corporations, showing the highest preference, while mid-sized companies have a preference rate of 12%, higher than the 10% for public institutions and public enterprises. Getty Images
By job category, the desired starting salary was highest in the research and development/design field, averaging 53 million KRW. This was followed by professional/specialized jobs at 52 million KRW, and IT/internet at 51 million KRW. Medical and construction jobs were also around 50 million KRW each. Additionally, trade/distribution was 49 million KRW, management/administration 47 million KRW, sales/customer service 47 million KRW, media 46 million KRW, marketing/advertising/public relations 44 million KRW, service/design 43 million KRW, production/manufacturing 41 million KRW, and education 40 million KRW.
When asked about the type of company they want to join next year, 43% of respondents chose "companies with high salaries," ranking first. The second place was "companies with the best work-life balance," chosen by 18%. Third was "companies with a good working atmosphere" (15%), and fourth was "companies with excellent welfare benefits" (13%). Following were "companies with good colleagues and mentors" at 7%, and "companies located nearby" at 3%.
By company size, 61% hoped to join large corporations, the highest proportion. Mid-sized companies accounted for 12%, public institutions and government enterprises 10%, foreign companies 7%, small companies 6%, and others 4%.
JinHakSa stated, "Generation Z tends to prioritize tangible rewards, which is why salary was chosen as the most important factor. Companies need to develop recruitment strategies for top talent through realistic measures such as differentiated welfare, growth opportunities, and flexible organizational culture, in addition to salary."
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