Samsung will run an open recruitment programme for the first half of the year. Samsung said on March 9 it will begin accepting applications from March 10. The drive includes 18 affiliates: Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, Samsung Asset Management, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, Cheil Worldwide, S-1, Samsung Global Research and Samsung Welstory. Applicants can apply to their desired company through the Samsung Careers recruitment website until March 17.

Hiring will proceed through a job-fit assessment in March, the Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) in April, interviews in May and health checks. Software roles will take a practical software competency test instead of GSAT. Design roles will not take GSAT and will be selected through portfolio screening.

Samsung introduced open recruitment for new hires in 1957, the first in South Korea, and has maintained the system for 70 years. It continued open recruitment during economic crises such as the oil shock in the 1970s and the financial crisis in the 2000s. It has conducted the programme without interruption except for unusual situations such as the foreign exchange crisis in the 1990s. Regular recruitment in the first and second halves of each year provides young people with predictable job opportunities. Among South Korea's four major conglomerates, Samsung is the only company that maintains an open recruitment system.

Samsung also created an open recruitment programme for female college graduates in 1993. In 1995, it excluded educational background from eligibility requirements, leading an open hiring culture. It innovated hiring practices, including by developing and introducing GSAT in-house. It is also continuing human resources reforms, including spreading a horizontal organisational culture through consolidating ranks, abolishing tenure limits by rank and improving evaluation systems.

Samsung is expanding domestic investment and youth hiring to foster advanced industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), bio, batteries and displays. It hired 60,000 people in South Korea over the past 5 years and plans to continue. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (이재용) said at a meeting of economic groups and business leaders at the presidential office in August last year, "We will continue related investments so that we can continuously create quality jobs in South Korea and foster high value-added industries."