GGM Launches Open Recruitment for 30 New Employees in the Second Half of the Year

Applications Close by September 21
New Hires to Start on November 16

Gwangju Global Motors (GGM), which has emerged as a "beacon of hope for jobs" among young people in the Gwangju and South Jeolla (Jeonnam) region, has launched its open recruitment for the second half of 2026.

On September 8, GGM announced that it had posted a notice for the second round of 2026 recruitment for general and technical positions on its website on the previous day. The company explained that the recruitment is being conducted both to fill vacancies and to add staff in anticipation of an increase in units produced per hour (UPH) next year. Approximately 30 people will be hired for technical and general roles.

Exterior view of Gwangju Global Motors.

Applications must be submitted through the company's recruitment website by September 21. The process will include an AI competency test, a document screening, multiple interviews, and a health checkup. Final successful candidates are scheduled to join the company on November 16.

The previous round of recruitment, which hired about 50 people in January, recorded a fierce competition ratio of 34:1. The reason GGM’s open recruitment draws in so many job seekers is the combined impact of prolonged stagnation in the region’s electronics and construction industries, the closure of a beverage conglomerate’s factory in Gwangju, and the integration or closure of petrochemical plants in Yeosu—all of which have exacerbated economic difficulties in the area. As a result, GGM has been able to provide much-needed employment opportunities to local youth suffering from a severe job shortage.

Since officially starting production of the Casper model in September 2021, GGM has increased its annual production volume every year, resulting in greater job opportunities. The number of employees grew from 555 in 2021 to 737 as of this year. With the addition of approximately 30 new hires this time, the total will have risen by around 200 over five years, reaching about 760 employees. Notably, 90% of GGM workers are from Gwangju and Jeonnam, and 85% are in their 20s and 30s.

It is rare in the Gwangju and Jeonnam job market for a company like GGM to consistently maintain double-digit recruitment numbers and steady growth following the initial large-scale intake at its founding. While many other companies in the region focus primarily on irregular and small-scale hiring to fill gaps, GGM has been able to conduct regular open recruitment thanks to robust domestic and international sales of the Casper, and additional workforce demands resulting from increased production of electric vehicles and export models. This demonstrates that the company has built a solid foundation and continues to grow steadily.

As production has increased, so has employee working time, resulting in significant pay raises. The average annual salary for technical staff, which was only 31 million won in 2021, has jumped to 49 million won in 2025, including 3.6 million won in housing support provided by Gwangju City. Of this, the mutual growth incentive has increased by 15% (750,000 won) compared to the previous year, reaching a maximum of 5.9 million won—up 96% (2.9 million won) from the 3 million won paid in 2023.

Additionally, as of January this year, a new job-based pay system has been introduced—depending on job difficulty and individual work performance, each employee receives an extra 50,000 to 100,000 won per month. This effect, combined with a 3% increase in base salary and the 2.1% rise in last year’s inflation, amounts to a 5% total raise, pushing the average annual salary for technical staff above 50 million won.

A spokesperson for Gwangju Global Motors stated, “GGM is a company founded for social contribution to create jobs for young people in the Gwangju and Jeonnam region. Through transparent and fair open recruitment, we will continue to select local talent and provide hope and dreams to young people struggling to find work.”

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