Applications pour in as soon as Hyundai Motor unveils factory job openings

• Published date: 02 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

A worker in his 30s is seeking to quit his high-paying semiconductor engineering job at a major conglomerate to become a production line worker at Hyundai Motor to ease office stress.

"I don't want to go to work, have meetings and be stressed out all the time. I have a master's degree in engineering from a SKY (Seoul National, Korea, Yonsei) university and I am thinking about applying," the employee posted on Blind, an anonymous messaging app used by Korean workers to air their grievances.

Prospective applicants flocked to Blind with questions and showing interest in the job opening.

"If you work overtime on weekends, you can make 120 million won ($91,500) a year. This is the king of all production jobs," one person wrote. "I think a lot of public servants will apply," another wrote, adding, "Please give me advice on starting salaries, work intensity and welfare benefits."

Industry officials believe over 100,000 people will apply for the 400 assembly-line positions being offered this year.

Viewing factory work as a blue-collar job is a thing of the past with thousands of qualified applicants rushing to apply for the job openings at Hyundai Motor. A surge in the number of applicants even caused delays in accessing the automaker's website due to heavy traffic Thursday morning after the announcement was made.

Hyundai Motor started receiving...