"If I can't get into 'Samjeon-Hanik,' I want to work in Yeouido's securities scene"
A student surnamed Kwon (24), who is enrolled in a business administration department at a university in Seoul, said this. After hearing that the average employee salary had risen as securities firms' results improved amid a bull market, Kwon began to dream of becoming a Yeouido securities man. Considering job credentials, Kwon also recently joined a campus stock investment club.
As securities firms announce net profits in the "trillion-won" range, they are emerging as preferred workplaces for college students. In terms of preference for employment in finance, they are neck and neck with banks, which had been the unshaken No. 1.
According to Incruit's survey on the 17th of "financial corporations that college students want to work for," preference for securities firms this year was 34.4%. That was a 0.1 percentage point gap with No. 1, commercial banks (34.5%). Just two years ago, the same survey showed a 14 percentage point gap, with banks at 40% and securities firms at 26%. As of last year, securities firms even led, showing that banks and securities firms are competing for the No. 1 spot among preferred financial corporations.
Individual securities firms also surged in the preference rankings. Samsung Securities(016360) rose from No. 10 in 2024 to No. 6 this year, and Mirae Asset Securities(006800) jumped from No. 24 to No. 11 over the same period.
Banks still occupy the top spots in the preference rankings, led by No. 1 Toss Bank, No. 2 KB Kookmin Bank, No. 3 KakaoBank and No. 4 Shinhan Bank, but their average preference is trending lower. Preference for the five major banks—Kookmin, Shinhan, NongHyup, Woori and Hana—fell from 31% in 2024 to 25% in 2026, down 6 percentage points. Over the same period, the five major securities firms (Mirae Asset, Korea Investment, Kiwoom, Samsung, NH Investment & Securities) climbed from 9.4% to 14%.
The clear reason job seekers prefer securities firms is "satisfying pay and compensation systems." As domestic stock transaction value surged centered on the KOSPI market, securities firms' profits swelled and expectations for annual pay grew.
Mirae Asset Securities posted net profit of 2.9072 trillion won in the first half of this year (January–June) alone. It became the first in the industry to achieve 1 trillion won in net profit for two consecutive quarters. Korea Investment & Securities Co. and Kiwoom Securities(039490) also joined the "1 trillion won club" for half-year net profit. NH Investment & Securities(005940) and Samsung Securities(016360) also recorded half-year net profits in the 900 billion won range.
Wages also jumped. Korea Investment & Securities Co. paid about 162 million won in average compensation per employee in the first half of this year alone. That was up 25.6% (33 million won) from 129 million won in the same period last year.
Mirae Asset Securities likewise saw average compensation per employee in the first half rise to 136 million won, up 36% (36 million won) from 100 million won a year earlier. Over the same period, ▲NH Investment & Securities 105 million won→123 million won ▲Kiwoom Securities 103.26 million won→120.18 million won ▲Samsung Securities 86 million won→109 million won also saw average compensation per employee jump. If the stock market boom continues in the second half, a securities firm with an "average annual salary of 200 million won" is likely to appear.
As more people prepare to work at securities firms, competition to join university stock investment clubs has also intensified. At one stock investment club in Seoul, this year's acceptance ratio was 10 to 1. The club's president said, "Some members are interested in stock investing, but many also joined with securities firm jobs in mind."
With more experience in stock investing, observers say the preference for securities firms will continue. Hwang Yong-sik, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said, "As interest in the stock market has risen significantly, job seekers' interest in the securities industry will continue for the time being."