More Than Half of Generation Z Job Seekers Plan to Apply to Large Companies in the Second Half of the Year

Korean job seekers are preparing to cast a wider net in the second half of 2026, but large companies and high pay remain their preferred destinations.

A survey by Jinhaksa Catch of 1,013 job seekers found that 52% planned to apply to large companies. Public enterprises and institutions followed at 30%, mid-sized companies at 29%, small companies at 13% and foreign companies at 11%. Respondents could choose multiple answers, while 12% said they did not plan to apply anywhere.

Expectations for the hiring market remained divided. Thirty-two percent expected conditions to resemble the first half of the year, compared with 29% who anticipated improvement and 24% who expected deterioration. Fifteen percent said they had not applied during the first half.

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Job seekers are broadening the range of companies and jobs they will apply to, but their priorities remain large companies and high compensation.

The biggest difficulty reported during the first-half job search was the lack of suitable openings, cited by 37% of respondents. Others pointed to strong applicant qualifications and experience, limited hiring numbers, or demanding job-specific requirements.

Job seekers said they would respond by expanding their options. Twenty-nine percent planned to consider a broader range of company sizes, while 24% would widen their preferred job fields. Twenty-one percent said they would lower their salary expectations, and 15% each planned to include more industries or apply for internships and contract positions.

Despite that flexibility, salary and other compensation remained the leading consideration when choosing an employer, at 42%. Work-life balance and the work environment ranked second at 18%. The average desired salary among those planning to apply in the second half reached 44.7 million won, up 1.7 million won from the beginning of the year. Respondents expected to receive an average of 41.5 million won. Jinhaksa Catch executive Kim Jung-hyun said the gap between the jobs people want and actual hiring opportunities would likely continue.

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The mismatch between the jobs job seekers want and actual hiring opportunities is expected to continue in the second half of the year.