Home > National > Social Affairs

Employment door keeps closing on those without higher education degrees

Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 19:24

Jo Seong-jin, former CEO of LG Electronics, known as a symbol of the high school graduate success story, speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles in January 2019. [NEWS1]

High school graduates are losing ground in Korea’s largest companies as hiring tightens, nonpermanent contracts become more prevalent and more vocational students choose to further their education over immediate employment. The shift is raising questions about whether career paths like that of former LG Electronics chief Jo Seong-jin can still be replicated.

Jo, who stepped down in 2019, joined Goldstar — the predecessor to LG Electronics — in 1976 after graduating from the mechanical engineering track at Yongsan Technical High School. Over 43 years, he worked his way up to vice chairman. His rise made him a symbol of the self-made executive who reached the top through ability rather than academic pedigree in a society defined by educational hierarchy.

Such stories may soon become far rarer. New data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics shows a sharp decline in high school-educated workers at major companies with 300 or more employees. In October, 102,900 young workers aged 15 to 29 with a high school education or less held jobs at large firms — just 20.6 percent of young employees. A decade earlier, the share was 27 percent.

Workers with junior college degrees also declined, falling from 20.5 percent to 11.8 percent. those with university degrees or higher, meanwhile, rose from 52.5 percent to 67.6 percent.

The quality of available jobs has also deteriorated. In 2015, nearly 80 percent of high school-educated young workers at major companies held permanent positions. By 2025, that figure had dropped to 61.6 percent. For university-educated workers, the rate stands at 93.7 percent. Temporary and daily employment among high school graduates jumped from 20.2 percent to 38.4 percent, underscoring a growing divide.

A job seeker looks at an employment bulletin board at a job fair in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 12. [YONHAP]

Multiple factors are behind the decline. Large companies appear to be closing the door on high school recruitment. One energy company recently suspended its recruitment program for vocational high school graduates due to worsening business conditions.

Demand for high school-level positions has also fallen as advances in AI and other technological shifts reshape job structures. “With large companies reducing or even eliminating their university graduate recruitment, demand for high school graduates is declining even more naturally,” said an industry source.

Vocational high school students are also choosing university over employment at higher rates, diminishing the original purpose of such schools.

Only 25.6 percent entered the work force, according to Ministry of Education statistics released Tuesday on employment outcomes for vocational high school graduates in 2025. Meanwhile, 49.2 percent went on to junior colleges or universities. The higher-education enrollment rate is up 6.7 percentage points from 42.5 percent in 2020.

People fill out forms in front of a job information board at the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 12. [NEWS1]

Some major conglomerates, however, continue to maintain dedicated recruitment tracks for high school graduates.

Samsung Electronics held open recruitment for high school-educated manufacturing workers in its semiconductor division in the second half of this year, and since 2007 has hired more than 1,600 medalists from the national skills competition sponsored by Samsung. Samsung SDI is also currently running a recruitment program for vocational high school students.

Posco conducts open recruitment twice a year for high school graduates applying for production roles and operates a separate annual recommendation-based hiring track for vocational high schools.

“In the steel industry, where on-site production and facility operations are key, practical adaptability is crucial, so we hire outstanding talent regardless of educational background,” a Posco representative said.

“Vocational high school students continue to show a high preference for university enrollment,” said Noh Min-sun, an official of the Korea SMEs & Startups Institute, adding that “there is a need to strengthen AI-based training for vocational high school students in line with corporate demand.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NA SANG-HYEON [[email protected]]