"I thought getting into a big company was the goal"... The 'position' only 1 in 121 employees reaches

Analysis by Korea CXO Research Institute
SK hynix adds 72 executive positions in one year
Hyundai Motor cuts 25; LG Electronics cuts 19

A study found that the probability of a regular employee at one of the top 100 listed companies in South Korea by revenue being promoted to an executive is just 0.83%, meaning the path to a higher position remains open to only a tiny fraction of employees, less than 1%. In other words, only one out of about 121 employees becomes an executive.

Korea CXO Research Institute announced on October 19 the findings of its study, "Analysis of the Likelihood of Employees at the Top 100 Companies Becoming Executives in 2026," based on the 2026 semiannual reports filed by the top 100 listed companies ranked by revenue according to their separate financial statements for 2025. The analysis covered only unregistered executives who had not undergone the legal registration process under the Commercial Act.

According to the study, the 100 companies had a total of 862,163 employees, an increase of 1,087 (0.1%) from the previous year. The number of unregistered executives rose by 109 (1.6%), from 7,028 to 7,137. As a result, executives accounted for 0.83% of all employees, up slightly from 0.82% last year, a 0.01-percentage-point increase. The number of employees per executive fell somewhat, from 122.5 to 120.8. The likelihood of an employee at a large company becoming an executive has remained relatively flat in the 0.8% range for five consecutive years, since 2022.

Trends in Non-Registered Executive Changes at Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics, and SK hynix. Korea CXO Research Institute

Corporate hiring policies showed clear differences depending on business conditions. SK hynix, which is benefiting from a boom in memory semiconductors, increased its number of unregistered executives by 72 (35.5%) in just one year, from 203 to 275. This accounted for 66.1% of the net increase of 109 executives across all 100 companies.

By contrast, automakers and major home appliance companies prioritized workforce efficiency. Hyundai Motor cut its number of executives by 25, from 476 to 451, while LG Electronics reduced its total by 19, from 306 to 287. The two companies eliminated a combined 44 executive positions. As a result, the gap between LG Electronics and SK hynix, which stood at 103 executives last year, narrowed to 12. Other companies that expanded their executive ranks included HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (up 23), Korean Air (up 12) and Mirae Asset Securities (up 11). Meanwhile, KT (down 17), Samsung SDI (down 16) and SK (down 15) reduced their numbers.

There were also wide differences across industries in the barriers to becoming an executive. The securities industry, with its high proportion of specialized professionals, had the lowest barrier, with one executive for every 39.8 employees. It was followed by trading (54.8 employees per executive), petrochemicals (63.8), insurance (72.4), food (93.1) and construction (97.2), all with fewer than 100 employees per executive. By contrast, the retail industry, where store staff make up a large share of the workforce, had 320.3 employees per executive, making competition for promotion the fiercest.

Changes in the Number of Employees per Executive at Samsung Electronics by Year. Korea CXO Research Institute

Samsung Electronics had the most executives among individual companies, with 1,108, one more than last year. Its total workforce stood at 129,200, down 324 from the previous year, while its executive headcount remained at a similar level. The company had 116.6 employees per executive, with executives accounting for 0.86% of its workforce.

Oh Il-sun, head of Korea CXO Research Institute, said, "Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have both seen a significant improvement in business performance this year, but their approaches to managing executive headcount have clearly differed. SK hynix has expanded its executive ranks in line with its improved performance and business growth, while Samsung Electronics has focused on maintaining its existing executive headcount."

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