Samsung Electronics said Thursday that the company and its affiliates plan to hire 60,000 people over the next five years in one of South Korea's largest recruitment plans, to strengthen its future growth businesses and expand youth employment.

The recruitment drive, averaging 12,000 new hires annually, will focus on semiconductors, core components, biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Samsung said the expansion reflects its "people-first" management philosophy and commitment to providing fair opportunities for young job seekers.

In the group's recruitment rounds in the second half of this year, 19 Samsung affiliates will participate, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and Samsung Biologics.

Alongside direct employment, Samsung said it will broaden internship opportunities linked to full-time jobs. The goal is to give university students more hands-on experience and hire proven candidates from the pool, the company said.

It will also step up recruitment of technical talent such as graduates of vocational high schools and medalists from national skills competitions. Since 2007, Samsung has supported South Korea's national skills event and the WorldSkills international competitions, providing special employment opportunities for more than 1,600 prize winners.

"Technical human resources are the backbone of industrial competitiveness, and we intend to keep fostering a social climate where such talent is recognized and rewarded," the company said.

Samsung was the first Korean company to launch an open recruitment system in 1957, introducing a public hiring process that has been maintained for nearly 70 years.

"By hiring 60,000 people and expanding training programs, Samsung will reinforce its global leadership in semiconductors, biotechnology and AI, while providing young people with fair opportunities and long-term career prospects," the company said.

The company highlighted that it has expanded inclusivity in its hiring practices, adding a dedicated track for female university graduates in 1993 and eliminating academic background requirements in 1995. This open recruitment culture has since been upheld as part of Samsung's identity, the company added.

On the same day, SK Group, the country's second-largest conglomerate, announced plans to hire 8,000 people this year, focusing on AI, semiconductors and digital technologies.

SK hynix, the group's memory chip affiliate, will accept applications for new employees from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1, targeting roles in chip design, devices, research and development and manufacturing technologies. The hiring plan is tied to the company's expansion in AI semiconductors, with thousands of additional jobs expected once its new chip cluster in Yongin begins operations in 2027, the chipmaker said.

SK hynix is also expanding production at its Cheongju M15 fab for next-generation DRAM, further boosting demand for engineers and technicians.

Group affiliates plan to recruit across key projects, including the SK AI Data Center in Ulsan, which broke ground last month and is being developed as a strategic hub for cloud and AI services.

To strengthen early talent pipelines, SK companies have expanded partnerships with local universities and vocational schools, creating what it described as a "virtuous cycle" of education, training and hiring.

"Even with rapid changes such as the rise of AI and global uncertainties, securing competitive young talent in time is the foundation of sustainable growth," an SK Group official said. "We will continue to invest in recruitment and training support to strengthen national competitiveness in key fields such as AI."

Samsung launches Korea's biggest recruitment plan with 60,000 new hires