More than 60 percent of local companies have yet to decide their recruitment plan for this year, with only a small fraction of them saying they will increase employment, a survey showed Monday.

According to the survey by the Federation of Korean Industries of the top 500 companies that employ more than 300 workers, 64.7 percent said that they have not established their 2015 recruitment plan for college graduates.

The survey did not provide a combined number of workers to be hired by the companies. Of those polled, 207 companies responded.

In the survey, 17.9 percent answered that their new hirings will be similar to the level of last year, while only 5.8 percent said that they will hire more than last year.

The survey showed that 6.8 percent intend to hire fewer workers than last year, with 4.8 percent planning not to hire at all this year.

Asked why they cannot increase employment, 26.4 percent cited worsening business situations at home and abroad. Another 23.6 percent named unfavorable "internal" conditions.

The survey also showed that 23.6 percent are reluctant about new hirings due to less job openings following the extension of the retirement age.

Of the planned employment, 23.4 percent of the jobs are reserved for female workers, the survey said, indicating that women are facing much tougher challenges in landing jobs. In transportation and information service areas, the ratios remained relatively high at 43.3 percent and 30 percent, the survey showed. (Yonhap)