▲AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing
*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "artificial intelligence (AI)-based personalized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.
[Key Issue Briefing]
■ AI Transition: Reluctance to Hire New Recruits a Bigger Threat: According to a report published by the Gyeonggi Job Foundation, the AI adoption rate among companies worldwide surged from 55% in 2023 to 88% in 2025. The analysis holds that the weakening of entry pathways for young people, caused by companies' reluctance to hire new recruits, is emerging as a more realistic employment threat than the disappearance of jobs themselves.
■ New Variable on the Road to Studying in the U.S.: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule limiting the stay of foreign students holding F-1 visas to four years. The outlook is that considerable confusion is expected for those preparing to study abroad who plan long-term programs exceeding four years, such as doctoral courses or medicine and engineering.
■ Turnover Winds Even in Popular Semiconductor Divisions: 81.5% of employees in Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) foundry division said they intend to change jobs within two years. As interpretations emerged that this resulted from growing discontent within the non-memory organization as bonuses were concentrated in the memory division, the need to examine differences in treatment across divisions when preparing for semiconductor employment has grown.
[News of Interest to University Students and Job Seekers]
1. AI Spread Gains Momentum... This Comes Before Defending Jobs
Key Summary: The Job Research Center of the Gyeonggi Job Foundation published a report titled "Employment and Job Policy in the Era of AI Transition," revealing that the AI adoption rate among companies worldwide surged from 55% in 2023 to 88% in 2025. High AI exposure does not immediately mean mass layoffs, and the report pointed out the large gap between large companies' AI utilization rate of 40% and small and medium-sized enterprises' 12%. The report proposed an "AI-responsive job policy package" combining job-code-based exposure diagnosis, AI transition training vouchers, and hiring and reassignment incentives. As the weakening of entry pathways for young people caused by reluctance to hire new recruits was identified as a more realistic threat, the need to redesign strategies for entering the job market is being raised.
2. Trump Administration Limits Foreign Student Visas to Four Years
Key Summary: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule limiting the stay of foreign students holding F-1 visas in the United States to four years. Previously, students could stay until they completed their regular course of study, but going forward they must undergo renewal procedures after four years, and if renewal is not granted, they lose their residency status. As many long-term programs such as doctoral courses or medicine and engineering exceed four years, backlash from U.S. universities and the international education community is also expected. Job seekers planning to study in the U.S. will need to check course durations and visa renewal requirements in advance.
3. Samsung Cho-gieop Union: "8 in 10 Foundry Employees Intend to Change Jobs Within Two Years"
Key Summary: In a survey by the Samsung Electronics Cho-gieop Union, 81.5% of union members in the foundry division said they intend to change jobs within two years, showing a large gap from the memory division (32.7%). The DS Division's special management performance bonus was newly established at 10.5% of performance, but with the memory division expected to receive up to 600 million won and the non-memory division only in the 100 million won range, the compensation gap was identified as the cause. The union plans to put demands related to working conditions at regional workplaces such as Gwangju on the agenda of next year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations. The fact that treatment differs greatly by division even within the same semiconductor job category is worthwhile information to reference when deciding which department to apply to while preparing for employment.
[Reference News for University Students and Job Seekers]
Key Summary: The Ministry of Employment and Labor is moving to prepare a comprehensive reform plan including the minimum wage deliberation method, splitting the committee into two, and reducing the number of members. Along with criticism that the current 27-member composition of the Minimum Wage Commission is inefficient, the fact that deliberation has been completed within the statutory deadline only nine times since its introduction in 1988 was cited as a problem. After the labor sector's 16.3% increase proposal and the management sector's freeze proposal clashed, next year's minimum wage was ultimately decided by vote. Because a change in the minimum wage determination method could affect wage levels for part-time jobs or first jobs, it is worth paying attention to.
5. Uber Acquires Delivery Hero for 21 Trillion Won... Also Takes In 'Baemin'
Key Summary: Uber announced that it will acquire Germany's Delivery Hero for approximately 21 trillion won, expanding its mobility and delivery platform to 99 markets. In this process, Korea's Baedal Minjok (Baemin) will also be incorporated under Uber, while some European businesses such as Turkey's will be sold off through divestiture. This is an industry realignment following DoorDash's acquisition of Deliveroo and Prosus's acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway, and Uber will also secure the Middle East's 'Talabat' and Saudi Arabia's 'HungerStation.' As large-scale mergers and acquisitions by global platform companies continue, changes may follow in related industry hiring and organizational restructuring.
6. First Rate Hike in Three and a Half Years... The Tightening Clock Turns Again
Key Summary: The Bank of Korea raised its base rate from 2.5% to 2.75% per year by 0.25 percentage points, raising rates for the first time in three years and six months since January 2023. Governor Shin Hyun-song said the situation in which the inflation rate exceeds the target level has continued, and that the decision was made unanimously by all seven Monetary Policy Board members. Amid import prices and producer prices rising 20.6% and 8.5% year-on-year respectively, the fact that the inflow of semiconductor bonuses stimulated real estate and consumer sentiment was also cited as a backdrop for the hike. As whether there will be an additional hike in August emerges as the next point of interest, job seekers planning to take out loans need to check the interest burden in advance.
▶Go to article: Mortgage Rates Nearing 8%... Household Interest Burden Alone Surges 3.3 Trillion Won Annually
▶Go to article: Government Releasing 800 Trillion Won, BOK Tightening the Money Supply... Concerns Over Conflicting Prescriptions
