"Should Get at Least 45 Million Won Salary" "Can't Give Up on Large Companies"... Young People Say There Are No Places to Apply

Jinhaksa Catch Surveyed 1,013 Job Seekers
"Salary" Is the Top Priority When Choosing a Company

Half of job seekers preparing for employment in the second half of this year stated that they plan to apply to large companies. Their average desired annual salary was found to be 44.7 million won.

According to a survey conducted by the recruitment platform Jinhaksa Catch on 1,013 job seekers regarding their “Employment Outlook for the Second Half of 2026,” 52% of respondents answered that they would apply to large companies in the second half, accounting for more than half. This was followed by public institutions and public companies at 30%, medium-sized companies at 29%, small businesses at 13%, and foreign companies at 11%. Meanwhile, 12% said they had no plans to apply. Multiple responses were allowed for this survey.

On the 19th of last month, many job seekers gathered at the '2026 Joint Financial Sector Recruitment Fair' held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The average desired annual salary among those intending to apply in the latter half of the year was 44.7 million won, up by 1.7 million won from the 43 million won recorded in a survey conducted at the start of the year. However, the annual salary they expect to actually receive averaged 41.5 million won, which is 3.2 million won less than their desired amount.

When asked about the most important factor when choosing a company to join, “level of compensation, including salary,” was cited by 42% as the top consideration. This was followed by “work-life balance and work environment” at 18%, growth potential and career development opportunities at 12%, and both job suitability and company stability at 8% each.

The biggest difficulty experienced during the application process in the first half of the year was that “there were few job postings worth applying for” (37%). This was followed by “the high qualification and experience level of other applicants” at 21%, “a low number of available positions” at 18%, and “the high requirements for skills by job function made preparation burdensome” at 17%. Fifteen percent said they did not apply in the first half.

When asked about their outlook for the job market in the second half, 32% said it would be similar to the first half. The share of those who expected it to be positive was 29%, while 24% expected it to be negative.

Many job seekers said they plan to adjust their employment strategies in the second half by broadening the range of applications. When asked about changes in their application standards using multiple responses, the largest share, 29%, stated they would “broaden the scale of companies to apply to.” Twenty-four percent said they would broaden the range of job functions they hope for, while 21% said they would lower their desired salary. Broader application to industry sectors as well as plans to apply for internships or contract positions followed, both at 15%.

Regarding the number of job postings they plan to apply to in the second half, 49% said five or fewer, the highest proportion. This was followed by 6–10 postings at 23%, 11–20 postings at 13%, more than 31 postings at 9%, and 21–30 postings at 6%.

Kim Junghyun, Head of Jinhaksa Catch, stated, “Job seekers are broadening the range of companies and positions they apply for, but their priority remains large companies and high compensation,” adding, “The mismatch between the jobs job seekers want and actual hiring opportunities is likely to continue into the second half of the year.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.