On March 9, 2026, Samsung made waves across South Korea’s business landscape by announcing the launch of its large-scale public recruitment drive for the first half of 2026. This initiative, which kicks off application submissions from March 10 through March 17 via the Samsung Careers website, isn’t just a routine hiring round—it’s a testament to the conglomerate’s enduring commitment to domestic investment, youth employment, and the nurturing of future industries.
This year’s recruitment effort will see participation from 18 major affiliates, including household names like Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Samsung Life, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, Samsung Asset Management, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, Cheil Worldwide, S-1, Samsung Global Research, and Samsung Welstory, according to Yonhap Infomax and Hankyung. The sheer breadth of companies involved underscores Samsung’s broad industrial footprint and its central role in Korea’s economic engine.
The recruitment process unfolds in a series of carefully structured steps: a job suitability evaluation in March, the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) in April, followed by interviews and health checkups in May. For those applying to software positions, the GSAT is replaced by a practical software competency test, while design applicants undergo portfolio reviews instead of the standard aptitude exam. This tailored approach, as reported by Samsung Newsroom, reflects Samsung’s recognition of the diverse skills needed across its sprawling business empire.
Samsung’s public recruitment system is nothing short of historic. First introduced in 1957, it has now reached its 70th year—a remarkable feat, especially considering that most major Korean conglomerates have shifted to on-demand hiring, scrapping regular public intakes. As Kyunghyang Shinmun notes, Samsung remains the only member of Korea’s “Big Four” (Samsung, SK, Hyundai, and LG) to uphold this tradition, offering predictable and transparent employment opportunities for young job seekers. Even during turbulent times like the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the company has rarely paused its recruitment, providing continuity in a market often marked by uncertainty.
Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s management philosophy is at the heart of this enduring system. At a presidential office roundtable in August 2025, Lee pledged, “We will continue to invest so that we can consistently create quality jobs and foster high value-added industries domestically.” According to Yonhap Infomax, this vision is more than rhetoric: Samsung plans to hire 60,000 people in Korea over the next five years, with a keen focus on semiconductor, artificial intelligence, bio, battery, and display sectors. Some reports, such as Hankyung, even cite a broader target of 80,000 hires between 2022 and 2026.
The public recruitment drive is just one pillar of Samsung’s broader talent strategy. The company has long prided itself on pioneering open and inclusive hiring practices. In 1993, Samsung became the first Korean conglomerate to openly recruit female university graduates, and by 1995, it had eliminated academic background as a prerequisite for applicants. These moves, detailed by Samsung Newsroom, set new standards for fairness and diversity in Korean corporate culture.
Samsung’s innovation in human resources doesn’t stop at who it hires. The company has overhauled its HR systems in recent years, consolidating job grades to foster a more horizontal organizational culture, scrapping mandatory tenure at each level, and revamping evaluation systems to help employees realize their full potential. This ongoing transformation aims to keep Samsung competitive in the global talent race and ensure that its workforce remains agile and motivated.
For Korea’s youth, Samsung’s commitment translates into real opportunities. The regular public recruitment system offers predictability in a job market often criticized for its opacity and volatility. The company’s enduring presence as a mass recruiter is especially significant as other conglomerates move away from such models, making Samsung a beacon for young job seekers aiming to enter high-tech and high-value industries.
But Samsung’s approach to talent development goes even further. Since 2019, it has operated the Samsung Youth SW·AI Academy (SSAFY) across five campuses nationwide, providing free, high-quality education in software and artificial intelligence. Over 8,500 SSAFY graduates have landed jobs at more than 2,300 companies, both in Korea and abroad, according to Yonhap Infomax and Samsung Newsroom. The curriculum was recently revamped to focus more heavily on AI, and the program’s reach has expanded from university graduates to include Meister high school students—a move that broadens the pipeline of technically skilled talent.
Samsung also runs a recruitment-linked internship for Meister high school students, offering them a pathway from internship to full-time employment. Additionally, since 2007, the company has specially hired more than 1,600 winners of the national skills competition, primarily for roles in its electronics affiliates. These efforts, as highlighted by Samsung Newsroom, showcase Samsung’s dedication to nurturing technical talent from a young age.
Beyond direct hiring, Samsung supports Korea’s broader innovation ecosystem. Through its C-Lab Outside program, the company helps foster a vibrant startup environment, while the Hope Stepping Stone 2.0 project equips young people preparing for independence with practical technical skills, helping them build self-sufficiency in a rapidly changing economy.
The impact of these sustained efforts is tangible. The number of domestic employees at Samsung Electronics, for example, has grown by 23% in recent years—from 105,257 in October 2019 to 129,524 by June 2025, according to Hankyung. This growth not only reflects Samsung’s expanding business but also its role as a major driver of employment and innovation in Korea.
As the latest recruitment cycle gets underway, Samsung’s approach stands as a contrast to the prevailing winds in Korea’s corporate world. While most companies have embraced more flexible, ad hoc hiring systems, Samsung’s steadfast commitment to public recruitment, transparent processes, and inclusive talent development continues to set it apart. For thousands of young Koreans, this means hope, opportunity, and a chance to help shape the industries of tomorrow.
With applications now open, all eyes are on Samsung—not just as a business giant, but as a bellwether for employment and economic growth in South Korea’s ever-evolving landscape.