The number of hires planned by domestic enterprises for the second and third quarters this year totaled 460,000. That is down 9,000 from a year earlier.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 30th released the "2026 first-half enterprise labor force survey results by occupation." The ministry surveys hiring demand and recruitment status by industry and occupation twice a year, targeting a sample of 72,000 enterprises with at least one worker.
The survey found that enterprises in Korea plan to hire 460,000 people in the second and third quarters. That is 7,000 fewer than the number of workers they lack. The lacking number refers to the headcount enterprises feel they need beyond current staffing for normal operations, regardless of hiring plans. Planned hires are usually higher than the lacking number, but this year the lacking number was larger. This is the first time since 2021.
Jeong Hyang-suk, head of the labor market survey division at the ministry, said, "It seems the uncertainty from the war originating in the Middle East has been reflected, further reducing planned hires."
By industry, planned hires increased in construction (4,000), business facilities management, business support and rental services (3,000), and accommodation and food services (2,000). In contrast, planned hires fell in transportation and warehousing (-12,000), wholesale and retail (-4,000), and information and communications (-2,000).
Meanwhile, the number of unfilled positions that corporations sought to hire but could not in the first quarter was 96,000. That was down 13,000 (11.8%) from a year earlier.