"Came for Marketing, Assigned to Production"... 'New Hires Are in Their 50s': Gen Z Disappearing from Food Companies [Why&Next]

Analysis of Workforce by Age at Ten Major Food Companies
Proportion of Employees Aged 50 and Above Surges Up to Fivefold
"Production Work Is Tough"... Number of Employees in Their 20s Continues to Decline

A clear trend of "generational reversal" is emerging at ten leading domestic food companies, where the number of employees aged 50 and above is surpassing that of those in their 20s. There have even been cases where new hires in their 50s outnumber those in their 20s, and more companies are seeing the proportion of older employees overtake that of younger staff in their overall workforce. At some food companies, the share of employees in their 20s remains in the single digits, while those aged 50 and above exceed 30%.

According to an analysis by Asia Economy on August 10 of the workforce composition by age group (2022-2024) at ten major food companies, including CJ CheilJedang, Lotte Wellfood, Nongshim, Daesang, and Samyang Foods, in 2022, employees in their 20s accounted for 21.2% (14,017 people) of the total workforce, slightly ahead of those aged 50 and above at 19.3% (12,796 people). However, the situation reversed within a year. In 2023, the proportion of employees in their 20s dropped to 18.2% (11,668 people), while those aged 50 and above increased to 20.7% (13,304 people), outnumbering the younger group.

On the 3rd, a foreign tourist eating ramen at Neoguri's ramen shop set up at Skypark Myeongdong Branch 3 in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

Sharp Increase in New Hires Aged 50 and Above

Changes are evident even at the hiring stage. At Lotte Chilsung, the proportion of new hires aged 50 and above more than doubled from 10.5% in 2022 to 24.4% last year. In contrast, the proportion of new hires in their 20s fell by 11.7 percentage points, from 36.8% to 25.1%. This was largely due to the integration of about 50 technical workers in their 50s following the acquisition of Lotte Aluminum's AS Business Division last year.

At Daesang, the proportion of new hires in their 20s, which stood at 60.2% during the same period, dropped sharply to 42.4% in 2024, while the share of those aged 50 and above jumped more than fivefold from 2.5% to 13.9%. At Lotte Wellfood, new hires aged 50 and above accounted for 32.4% last year, surpassing those in their 20s (27.0%). At Samyang Foods, the proportion of new hires in their 20s decreased from 30.9% to 28.3%, while the share of those in their 50s rose from 18.0% to 19.5%.

A similar trend is seen in the overall workforce composition. As of last year, the proportion of employees in their 20s at Lotte Chilsung, Daesang, and Lotte Wellfood hovered around 10%. Lotte Chilsung had the lowest share among major food companies at 6.1%. At Daesang, the figure was about 10.0%, and Lotte Wellfood stood at just 9.3%.

In contrast, the proportion of employees aged 50 and above at these companies was 24.5%, 34.3%, and 28.8%, respectively, two to three times higher than that of those in their 20s. Hite Jinro showed a similar pattern, with 10.1% in their 20s and 29.0% aged 50 and above, nearly a threefold difference as of last year. At Ottogi, employees in their 20s made up 18.3% of the workforce, while those aged 50 and above accounted for 28.8%.

These companies tend to have a high proportion of production or distribution and sales promotion roles, with a workforce structure centered on long-term employment. There are also many cases of re-employing or repeatedly hiring workers aged 50 and above. In particular, it is common to immediately deploy experienced workers aged 50 and above in production and sales promotion roles, where expertise is critical, rather than younger employees.

There are also cases where generational balance is maintained. At Orion, as of last year, employees in their 20s accounted for 18.5% of the total workforce, while those aged 50 and above made up 20.7%. Notably, 63.3% of new hires were in their 20s, while only 3.9% were aged 50 and above. At Dongwon Industries, the workforce was nearly evenly split, with 21.5% in their 20s and 21.1% aged 50 and above. The company is evaluated as maintaining a balanced workforce by hiring both generations evenly. CJ CheilJedang is the only major food company where employees in their 20s outnumber those aged 50 and above by more than twofold. As of last year, 25.6% of all employees were in their 20s, while 12.0% were aged 50 and above.

"Thought It Was a Marketing Job"... Young Employees Leaving Due to Production Assignments

The decline in the number of employees in their 20s is partly due to the issue of "attrition." Many leave within one to two years of joining the company, citing low salaries, rigid organizational culture, repetitive tasks, and shift work. These factors do not align with the values and work styles of Generation Z, who prioritize work-life balance and growth potential. According to a "2025 Preferred Companies for University Students" survey conducted by job portal Incruit targeting 1,176 university students nationwide, CJ CheilJedang ranked fifth after SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Naver. However, the turnover rate for employees in their 20s after joining the company reached 37%. Ottogi and Nongshim also recorded turnover rates of 34% and 33%, respectively, both exceeding 30%. These figures are much higher than those of major distribution companies such as Lotte and Shinsegae, which have turnover rates around 10%.

This phenomenon is also linked to broader demographic changes in society. According to the 2024 Population and Housing Census released by Statistics Korea, the population aged 50 to 69 and above reached 16,504,000, accounting for 32% of the total population (51,806,000), an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, the population of young people aged 20 to 29 stood at 6,302,000 (12.2% of the total), a decrease of about 190,000 in one year. The youth population (ages 0-14) dropped to 10.5%, and the working-age population (ages 15-64) continued to decline, reaching 70.0%. As a result, the utilization of older workers has become an inevitable trend.

Food companies are increasingly proactive in utilizing older workers. According to the "Employment Guide for Older Workers in the Food Industry" published last year by the Korea Employment Information Service, a survey of 107 HR managers at food and beverage manufacturers found that the productivity of workers aged 50 and above was reported to be similar to or even higher than that of those in their 20s and 30s. Many respondents stated that, across all job categories?office, production, sales, and research?the productivity of older workers, relative to working hours, wages, and workload, was equal to or superior to that of younger employees. In fact, Daesang has been operating a "post-retirement reemployment" system since last year.

An official at a major food company said, "Many employees in their 20s join the company expecting to work in marketing, but end up leaving within one to two years after being assigned to production sites. On the other hand, older workers aged 50 and above, with their extensive field experience, can be immediately deployed in skilled production, technical, or sales promotion positions, making reemployment even more efficient."