"Giving Up My SNU Diploma for a Factory Job": Young People's Chilling Choice in the AI Era

SK Hynix Values 'Reading the Room,' While Samsung Electronics Values...?

When we conducted a survey asking, "If you could get a manufacturing job at SK Hynix, would you be willing to give up your university diploma?", 43% of all respondents answered, "Of course I could give it up." Among them, 100% of students from Seoul National University and Korea University responded that they "could give up their diplomas." Looking at these shocking results, I felt that "the market is changing significantly, and job seekers are being heavily impacted."

Q. What traits do employees at SK Hynix and Samsung describe when they say "this junior colleague is really great" or "juniors who adjust well tend to be like this"?

SK Hynix seems to place high value on team play. Rather than someone who excels alone, they value someone who can perform well together as a team, gets along well with seniors, and the keyword "nunchi" (social awareness and reading the room) comes up frequently. Being good at reading the room, managing relationships with seniors in team play, and acting quickly by being perceptive to senior colleagues—there seems to be a culture that emphasizes these things. As a result, someone who works well in a team unit is judged to be "good at their job," and someone who is highly motivated by being rewarded through performance seems to be regarded as ideal talent.

When analyzing keywords related to performance at Samsung, terms like "team leader, department head, reporting" appeared frequently. Samsung seems to consider those who endure well at the company for a long time and take satisfaction in the Samsung brand as top talent. Samsung Electronics also values people who are motivated by performance-based rewards, but they particularly view reporting well to and gaining recognition from higher-ranking heads of organizations as critical performance achievements. Additionally, adhering strictly to company rules is important, and someone with strong pride in the company's brand appears to be seen as an ideal employee.


"Even Nvidia Employees Envy SK Hynix"
Q. There is reportedly a subtle tension between employees at these two companies, which are the most talked-about in South Korea right now.

When investigating turnover triggers at Samsung Electronics, there are many mentions of Hynix. Many say they want to move to Hynix because they envy its compensation system. Even at Nvidia in the U.S., employees frequently mention Samsung Electronics and Hynix. Many mention wanting to receive comparable levels of compensation when they see news about the bonuses received by semiconductor workers at SK Hynix or Samsung Electronics.


When Do Samsung and Hynix Employees Want to Quit?
Q. SK Hynix employees must have complaints as well?

When looking into turnover triggers at SK Hynix, issues like "stress over reporting, performance evaluations, hierarchy, and overtime" emerge. On the other hand, because Samsung Electronics values company systems, rules, and reporting, such keywords do not appear as much among their turnover triggers; instead, things like "being disregarded, internal politics, and unfairness" seem to act as triggers for leaving.

Q. Is there also a difference in how they learn the ropes within the company?

Because SK Hynix values team play, they seem to prefer learning by asking senior colleagues, whereas Samsung Electronics seems to place greater emphasis on learning through formal training programs.

Q. So at SK Hynix, one needs to be a team player, while at Samsung Electronics, one is welcomed by reporting well to superiors.

And following the rules well.


Top University Students Ask, "How Do I Apply for Factory Jobs?"
We saw many questions from students at top-tier universities asking how to apply for manufacturing or service jobs. That was a surprising observation, and I think it reflects a deepening preference for sectors that are difficult for AI to replace.

Q. Which job sectors do new hires feel greater anxiety about, and which are seen as relatively better off?

According to our recent survey results, about 10% of new hires in high-AI-exposure roles (such as software engineering, planning, design, marketing, finance, and legal affairs) begin looking for new jobs within their first year. In contrast, only about 4.6% of those in low-AI-exposure roles (such as production, sales, customer service, nursing, construction, and airline services) start seeking new jobs within a year.

Q. Previously, finance and IT were popular fields, but is the search volume for quitting more than double that of other sectors?

It is likely the result of fear that their work can be easily replaced.

Q. The companies people want to work for have also shifted significantly recently?

Yes, fundamentally, we see that options have narrowed. Whereas people previously sought to enter fast-growing startups, such opportunities have dwindled, and anxiety has strengthened the tendency to seek stable jobs. In South Korea, this trend has been distinct since 2025, with interest concentrating particularly on major manufacturing conglomerates and public enterprises.

Major conglomerates like Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics have always been ranked among the most desired companies. In the past, fast-growing companies or tech firms like Woowa Brothers, KakaoBank, Naver, and Dunamu were ranked at the top of desired workplaces. Recently, however, these companies have stepped back, and job-change desires are clustering around manufacturing companies and public enterprises. For example, Kia, SK Hynix, Hanwha Aerospace, Hyundai AutoEver, POSCO, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) are occupying the top ranks of companies people newly wish to move to.

Q. So the sectors with fewer job changes are construction, aviation, nursing, production, and sales?

That is the case for now, as the future remains unknown. Recently, Hyundai Motor has been running pilot automated factories, and Tesla is operating factories with minimal human intervention, so even manufacturing and production face an uncertain future. While that applies to all sectors, they may simply be among the roles that will be affected last.

Q. 100% responded that they would be willing to give up their Seoul National University or Korea University diplomas if they could land an on-site job at SK Hynix, but no one knows how long that window will remain open. Is the atmosphere similar in the U.S.? Do they also prefer stable positions?

It is the same in the U.S. Previously, there were many cases of moving from Big Tech to startups or other industries, but recently, the trend of moving from one Big Tech company to another Big Tech company has become much more pronounced.


New Hires Plotting an Exit? The Clues Lie in Their Search History
Q. Statistics show that more than a third of new employees leave their first jobs. Wouldn't the words they use and the content of their posts differ between those who joined intending to stay long-term and those looking to change jobs right after joining?

Almost any office worker has changing jobs in mind to some degree. However, looking at new hires alone, the search volume for the keyword "job change" is about four times higher among those who switch jobs immediately compared to those who stay long-term.

New hires who stay long-term maintain a broader perspective even when contemplating a job change. Having worked, they feel they are good at certain tasks, and take their time to ponder where else they could go in other industries and what work might be a better fit for their aptitude.

In contrast, new hires who want to change jobs quickly are in a rush. They search not only for "job change" but also for urgent keywords such as "quitting outright (leaving without securing the next job first)." When looking for a new company, because they feel the urge to move even a day sooner, they show a strong tendency to look for competitors within the same industry or companies in similar lines of business.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.