[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang (황치규)] AI- and data-based HR tech platform JobKorea, operated by WorkSphere, on Tuesday released an analysis showing AI job postings in the first half rose 128 percent from a year earlier.

JobKorea said about 18,000 postings with AI keywords were registered through June. Of those, postings that companies registered as AI specialist roles increased 128 percent from a year earlier. It said experienced-hire postings rose 140 percent, far outpacing entry-level postings, which increased 55 percent.

JobKorea said its analysis showed demand increased further for talent who can be deployed to practical work immediately, even as the AI hiring market expands.

By company type, postings by large companies, including affiliates and subsidiaries, rose 187 percent. That compared with 167 percent for mid-sized companies, 124 percent for small and medium-sized companies, and 117 percent for venture companies.

It also highlighted an increase in hiring for non-development AI roles. Non-development AI job postings classified by JobKorea rose 325 percent from a year earlier, and their share of all AI job postings increased to 21.6 percent from 11.6 percent in the first half of last year. That means more than 1 out of every 5 postings was for a non-development role.

Among non-development AI roles, postings for AI content creators rose 405 percent from a year earlier, the highest growth rate. They were followed by AI planners at 363 percent, AI business strategy at 313 percent and AI education consultants at 195 percent. JobKorea said demand is spreading beyond workers who directly develop AI to those who apply it in business, content and education settings.

The focus on AI application capabilities is also appearing in corporate hiring processes. Major large companies such as SK Hynix and LG Electronics recently added new items asking about AI capabilities in recruitment. Kia also introduced a stage to verify "AI problem-solving ability" in hiring for the first time in the auto industry, expanding AI capability checks to all job categories.

A JobKorea official said, "AI capabilities are becoming a basic skill across jobs such as planning, business and content, beyond expertise limited to development roles." The official added, "In line with the current trend in which AI hiring demand is moving the fastest, we will continue to advance our services centered on matching that reads both job experience and AI application capabilities."