This year, corporations have been found to reduce their hiring plans by 51,000 from the same period last year in the second and third quarters.
According to the results of the '2025 Half-Year Job Market Survey by Occupation' released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 30th, the hiring plans of enterprises with one or more employees in the second and third quarters of this year are estimated at 470,000. This is a decrease of 9.7% (51,000) compared to the same period last year.
The hiring plans of corporations have been continuously decreasing compared to the previous year since the second quarter of 2023. Starting with a decrease of 86,000 in the second and third quarters of 2023, there was a reduction of 84,000 from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, in the second and third quarters of 2024, there was a decrease of 50,000, and from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, 30,000.
By enterprise, the hiring plans for the second and third quarters of this year show that for those with fewer than 300 employees, the figure is 419,000, a decrease of 54,000. For those with 300 or more employees, it is 52,000, an increase of 30,000.
By industry, the manufacturing sector has a hiring plan of 95,000, the health and social welfare service sector 61,000, the wholesale and retail sector 54,000, the accommodation and food service sector 47,000, and the transportation and storage sector 37,000. Most industries have reduced their hiring plans compared to last year.
The planned hiring numbers by occupation are as follows: 64,000 for management, administration, and clerical positions; 50,000 for sales positions; 46,000 for food and service positions; 39,000 for driving and transportation positions; and 24,000 for machinery installation.
As of April 1 of this year, the shortage of personnel is 469,000, a decrease of 52,000 from the same period last year. The shortage of personnel refers to the number of employees needed beyond the current level to ensure normal operations and facilities of the enterprise are active and responsive to demand.
Compared to the current personnel, the personnel shortage rate, which indicates the proportion of the shortage, is 2.5%. This is a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year.
Enterprises are taking steps to address the personnel shortage, such as increasing 'hiring expenses or diversifying recruitment methods (62.3%)' and 'improving working conditions such as wage increases (32.3%).