New employment by South Korea’s top 500 companies next year is forecast to be similar to that of this year despite a prolonged global economic slowdown, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to the survey of 500 companies conducted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the top 288 companies by sales said that they will employ 32,521 people next year, a mere 1.3 percent drop from 32,936 people this year.

By industry, recruitment by textile, food, machinery, steel, shipbuilding and petrochemical makers is predicted to rise in 2013, while new employment by builders, pharmaceutical makers and financial institutions is forecast to fall.

According to the findings, the top 100 companies by sales are expected to hire 19,573 people next year, a mere 0.6 percent gain from this year. The figure accounts for 60 percent of new employment by South Korea’s top 500 companies. (Yonhap News)