Competitive starting salaries, work-life balance lure job seekers from high school graduates to career changers
Hyundai Motor Company’s recruitment process to hire new factory workers this year is generating a buzz among job seekers here, from high school graduates to those looking to switch jobs from chaebol rivals Samsung and SK, all drawn by the promise of competitive salaries and better work-life balance.
In 2023, the auto giant resumed its recruitment process to hire hundreds of workers at its three Korean plants as part of an agreement with the labor union. More than 120,000 applicants applied for 400 positions, causing the website to shut down the day it opened.
This year, applications can be submitted starting next Tuesday and the competition is already heating up.
Competitive salaries
The entry-level annual salary for employees at Hyundai Motor plants is estimated to be around 70 million won ($48,100), including incentives of approximately 10 million won. For more labor-intensive assembly line workers, the starting salaries are higher at around 100 million won.
The jobs are considered among the highest-paying jobs in the country at the entry-level and on average, given that the average salary of full-time workers stands at 41.2 million won as of 2022.
Notably, the automaker implements a uniform wage structure for production employees, regardless of whether they hold a bachelor’s degree or are graduates of high school or junior college, who are often subject to lower pay due to their educational background.
“University graduates (working on Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor lines) earn a slightly higher annual salary than Hyundai Motor,” said a production line employee in Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek plant. “But high school and junior college graduates start with a fixed monthly salary with fewer incentives, and it takes eight and four years, respectively, to be applied with the annual salary system like their university-educated counterparts.”
No overnight shift
The relatively hefty paycheck is not the only reason behind the buzz. Hyundai Motor offers better work-life balance than other well-paid production line jobs, including at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
On Blind, the anonymous online forum for verified employees, an SK hynix employee uploaded a post in November 2024 about applying for a job at Hyundai. In response to a comment asking why, the employee stated, “Few companies allow weekends off and avoid night shifts for assembly line workers who graduated from high school or junior college. These conditions alone make me want to work there.”
In 2019, Hyundai Motor scrapped overnight shifts, which used to run from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following day, for the first time among carmakers in Korea. Instead, the labor union and management agreed on a continuous two-shift system where the day shift works 8 hours and the second shift 9 hours, clocking out by 1:10 a.m. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the nation’s top two chipmakers, operate three shifts, including an overnight shift from 10-11 p.m. to 6-7 a.m. the next day.
“Compared to other production roles, Hyundai Motor’s manufacturing facilities guarantee holiday breaks, as requested by the labor union, even adding an extra day off (in many cases),” said an industry source who wished to remain anonymous. “Other fringe benefits include retirement at 60, possibly two more years of temporary employment, and discounts on Hyundai car purchases.”
One of the most coveted jobs
The yearning for a so-called “dream job” suggests a shift in societal perceptions, as factory labor, once labeled one of the "dirty, difficult and dangerous" jobs, is now considered a highly desirable and sought-after career.
In a poll on Blind asking whether a high school graduate earning 100 million won annually at Hyundai Motor’s manufacturing facility is better off than a liberal arts major graduate from Yonsei University, one of Korea’s most prestigious universities, receiving 45 million won annually, 76.5 percent chose the Hyundai worker. In another poll comparing a grade-nine civil servant who is hypothetically a Seoul National University graduate, to a Hyundai employee, 85.7 percent preferred the latter.
A researcher at Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Motor Group’s car parts subsidiary, said, “We seem to have a better pay scale than Hyundai’s assembly line workers. However, researchers often work overnight and even weekends to meet project deadlines. Along with Hyundai Motor researchers, we face a lot of pressure during recalls or over quality issues with Hyundai (and Kia) cars. Regarding stress management, I think production roles are better positioned.”
