A survey showed that SK Hynix ranks No. 1 in 2026 among companies job seekers want to start work at immediately.

AI- and data-based HR tech platform JobKorea, operated by WorkSphere, shared the results on Monday through its 2026 company preference report. The report was based on an analysis of a survey of 3,287 job seekers and JobKorea job seeker behaviour data.

According to the report, SK Hynix was followed by Samsung Electronics, Naver, Toss, Hyundai Motor, Amorepacific, Google, Kakao, Nexon and Hybe.

The preferred-company landscape changed significantly over five years. Kakao, which ranked No. 1 five years ago, placed eighth this year, while SK Hynix, which ranked fifth in 2022, rose to first. The share of IT and platform companies that had held top ranks fell, and semiconductors and manufacturing industries took their place. Samsung Electronics also has consistently held either the first or second spot since 2021.

Most job seekers cited pay and bonuses as the reason for their choice, at 32 percent. They were followed by welfare benefits at 15 percent, potential for job growth at 13 percent and corporate brand recognition at 10 percent.

Preferred benefits were also found to be performance bonuses and incentives at 23.2 percent, a generous vacation policy at 17.8 percent and meal allowances at 16.8 percent. This indicated that beyond simply offering benefits, clarity on the level and criteria of compensation has a major impact on company preference.

A JobKorea official said company preference is an indicator that also shows industry outlook and market expectations at the time. The official added that the five-year changes show how job seekers' perspectives on the hiring market have shifted.