As the semiconductor boom continues, college students' job preferences are increasingly tilting toward chipmakers. In particular, SK hynix (000660.KS), backed by expectations of high salaries and performance bonuses, ranked first for a second consecutive year as the "company students most want to work for."
According to the results of the "2026 Companies College Students Want to Work For" survey conducted by HR tech firm Incruit among 1,811 college students nationwide, released on the 27th, SK hynix was chosen by 14.2% of respondents, taking first place for a second straight year following last year.
The survey covered a total of 150 companies, including affiliates of the top 20 conglomerate groups designated by the Fair Trade Commission and companies with the highest market capitalization in Korea, and was conducted from the 4th to the 19th of last month.
Of the respondents who chose SK hynix, 57.0% cited "satisfactory salary and compensation system" as the biggest reason. This is interpreted as expectations for improved earnings and expanded performance bonuses—driven by the recovery in the semiconductor market—directly influencing job preferences.
Second place went to Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) at 8.0%. Samsung Electronics, which rose one notch from last year, also had "satisfactory salary and compensation system" (37.2%) as its biggest reason for selection. Incruit analyzed that the earnings improvement in the semiconductor industry was the key factor behind the rising preference for the two companies.
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CJ Olive Young, included in the survey for the first time this year, recorded 6.6% to rank third at once. The analysis is that expectations for the growth of the K-beauty industry and the expansion of global business led to students' choices. In fact, respondents who chose CJ Olive Young cited "the company's business value and future growth potential" (26.1%) as the biggest reason.
They were followed by Naver (035420.KS) at 5.1%, Samsung Biologics (207940.KS) at 3.6%, CJ ENM at 2.7%, Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) at 2.6%, Kakao (035720.KS) at 2.0%, CJ CheilJedang at 1.8%, and Samsung C&T at 1.7%, which ranked in the upper tier.
SK hynix was named the most preferred company by both men and women. Among male respondents, 14.6% chose SK hynix, as did 13.9% of female respondents. By major, it also recorded the highest preference in both the humanities, social sciences, business/economics and education fields (12.0%) and the engineering/electronics fields (20.9%).
Samsung Electronics showed particularly high preference among male students and those majoring in engineering/electronics, while CJ Olive Young received the most choices from female students and those in humanities and social science fields, showing a clear difference.
In this survey, half of the top 10 companies were rated as having "satisfactory salary and compensation system" as their most important competitive edge. This means that the actual level of compensation, including annual salary and performance bonuses, is establishing itself as a key factor determining job preferences beyond corporate image.
An Incruit official said, "As expectations for performance bonuses grew with the improvement in the semiconductor market, the preference for SK hynix and Samsung Electronics stood out." The official added, "Considering the tendencies of college students preparing for employment, companies also need to actively use competitive compensation systems as an important element of recruitment branding."
