SK Hynix ranked No. 1 among companies job seekers want to start work at immediately, a survey showed. AI- and data-based HR tech platform JobKorea analysed a survey of 3,287 job seekers and its user behaviour data for its 2026 company preference report. Samsung Electronics and Naver followed. The report said preferences shifted sharply over five years, with IT and platform firms losing share to semiconductors and manufacturing. Pay and bonuses were the top reason cited.

Competition is intensifying over platforms that optimise multiple AI models with internal corporate data so AI can better understand organisations and execute tasks. Enterprise software companies are treating such platforms, which help AI grasp corporate context and play an operating system role, as strategically important. Microsoft, Snowflake, Adobe and SAP have highlighted products and strategies focused on context layers, governance and services for AI agents, while interest also rises in PCs and chips running AI locally.