SK Hynix is changing its hiring standards to focus on job capabilities and growth potential rather than academic background for the era of artificial general intelligence (AGI). SK Hynix said it will fully abolish education restrictions starting with its rolling entry-level recruitment that begins on June 17.

It will delete all academic qualification requirements previously specified in job postings, such as “applicants must have a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher.” The company will shift to a structure in which applicants can apply and pass regardless of education if their experience, job competencies and fit with the corporate culture align.

The change is linked to the talent profile for the AI era that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (최태원) has stressed. Chey has cited the importance of “three muscles” as core capabilities future talent must have: “thinking muscle” to ask questions and dig into the essence, “adaptation muscle” to respond swiftly to a new technological environment, and “empathy muscle” to understand diversity and collaborate flexibly.

In this rolling recruitment, the company will hire in major fields including design roles to lead next-generation semiconductor technology, with a selection scale in the hundreds that is unusual for rolling recruitment. Applications will be accepted until June 23, and detailed schedules can be found on SK Hynix’s recruitment website.

An SK Hynix official said, “In a rapidly changing AI environment, the competitiveness of future talent is difficult to explain only through a specific degree or standardised credentials.” The official said, “We have innovated our hiring standards to discover talent that can solve complex problems creatively.”