New Recruitment for Mobility Technology Talent
Applications Open from June 24 to 30
Kia Also Expected to Begin Recruitment Soon
A recruitment notice has been posted for Hyundai Motor’s automobile production positions and science and engineering technical roles, often referred to as “dream jobs” or “Kingsanjik” (a portmanteau of “King” and the Korean word for production worker).
According to industry sources on June 20, Hyundai Motor will conduct recruitment for technical talent in the second half of the year from June 24 to June 30. The recruitment will cover three categories: automobile production, R&D (research and development) technical personnel, and battery technical personnel. The company is seeking candidates with relevant expertise in these fields. While the exact number of hires has not been disclosed, it is expected to be similar to last year’s second-half recruitment for production positions, which was in the triple digits. Detailed requirements for each category can be found on the Hyundai Motor recruitment website during the application period.
Candidates selected for automobile production positions will be assigned to domestic production plants in two rounds, in November and December. Those selected for R&D and battery technical roles will begin work at the Namyang and Uiwang research centers, respectively, in November.
Hyundai Motor’s production jobs are often called “dream jobs” or “Kingsanjik” among job seekers, due to stable working conditions such as guaranteed retirement regardless of gender or age, and relatively high wages. During the March 2023 recruitment, approximately 20,000 applicants submitted their documents simultaneously, causing the company’s website to crash. In previous recruitments, applicants noted that having nationally certified technical licenses and demonstrating “diligence” appeared to be important criteria in the document screening process. Many of those who passed the screening held three or more nationally certified technical licenses, with a significant number in industrial safety, hazardous material handling, and mechanical maintenance. Last year, Hyundai Motor set a new record with entry-level annual salaries reaching up to 90 million won (including bonuses), and the average annual salary for all employees reached 124 million won.
Kia is also expected to announce a similar recruitment notice soon. In September last year, Kia conducted second-half recruitment for new employees across 19 fields, including domestic production positions.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor’s decision to expand recruitment beyond production roles to actively secure science and engineering talent is seen as a strategy to strengthen its competitiveness in future vehicles. The company aims to secure a talent pool not only in skilled production but also in research, development, and quality.
In particular, the battery field is expected to require long-term talent acquisition, considering the potential for collaboration with companies such as LG Energy Solution, CATL, and the Chinese battery manufacturer CALB, which recently signed a large-scale electric vehicle battery supply contract.
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