AI job ads in South Korea surge 128% as non-technical roles dominate

According to JobKorea, AI-related job ads in South Korea jumped 128% in the first half of the year versus the previous year, based on roughly 18,000 listings containing AI keywords. The surge is led by non-development positions—jobs that apply AI to business or creative tasks— which increased 325% and now represent 21.6% of all AI postings, up from 11.6% a year earlier. Listings for experienced candidates rose 140%, far exceeding the 55% rise for entry-level roles, indicating a focus on immediate-impact talent.

Large conglomerates and their affiliates posted the steepest growth at 187%, followed by mid-size firms and SMEs. Major Korean firms, including SK hynix, LG Electronics and Kia, have begun testing AI literacy through new assessment items in their recruitment processes. By contrast, traditional non-AI development roles fell 6.6% overall.