[Edaily KIM EUNG-TAE Reporter · Kwon Ah-in, Trainee Reporter] As corporate hiring practices increasingly favor experienced professionals over new graduates, the number of experienced professionals entering the job market is rising significantly. From a corporate perspective, the preference for hiring experienced professionals—who can be deployed quickly to the field to deliver results while reducing the cost burden of training—is growing, leading to a rapid increase in the demand for career changes among experienced professionals. The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is also seen as a factor contributing to this trend, as companies are delegating simple, repetitive tasks to AI and placing greater importance on recruiting a small number of key talents to lead higher-level roles.

According to ZeroBase, a job information company under #Day1 Company Inc., on the 10th, experienced professionals accounted for 87% of subscribers to its customized job placement service last month. This represents a significant increase compared to March, when the proportion of experienced professionals (49%) was less than half. The proportion of experienced professionals among subscribers has been on a monthly upward trend, rising from 72% in April to 74% in May and 86% in June.
Another notable trend is the influx of mid- to senior-level professionals into the job market. In the first quarter of this year, the proportion of experienced professionals with seven or more years of experience was only around 3%, but it jumped to 23% in April and has continued to rise, reaching 30% in May, 34% in June, and 26% in July.
The reason existing professionals are actively entering the job market is that companies are increasingly shifting toward hiring experienced professionals instead of reducing or halting the recruitment of new graduates. Analysts suggest that, due to the economic slowdown, companies with tight budgets are prioritizing candidates who can be deployed immediately rather than investing in new graduates. An official in the recruitment industry explained, “While it takes a considerable amount of time to hire new graduates and see them produce results, hiring experienced professionals allows them to be deployed immediately, so companies’ preference for experienced hires is becoming increasingly pronounced.” The official added, “This trend has accelerated rapidly, particularly as the recent economic slowdown has made business operations more difficult.”
The widespread adoption of AI is also cited as one of the factors behind the growing preference for hiring experienced professionals. The industry consensus is that as AI takes over simple, repetitive tasks—which were previously handled mainly by new hires or junior employees—the demand for personnel capable of handling higher-level roles is increasing. An industry official explained, “As AI technology advances rapidly, the importance of the ability to effectively utilize AI in the workplace is growing,” adding, “The ability to leverage AI to boost productivity and solve problems has become a key differentiator in the hiring process.” In addition, experts advise that evaluation criteria in the hiring process—including global competence and cultural fit—are becoming more stringent than before.
Experts predict that the trend toward hiring experienced professionals will continue to intensify in the job market. Kim Yu-bin, Director of the Employment Policy Research Division at the Korea Labor Institute, said, “As the number of jobs remains limited and the supply of job seekers continues to exceed demand, companies’ preference for experienced hires will only grow stronger.” He added, “To mitigate the issue of reduced new graduate hiring, we should explore alternatives such as incorporating provisions related to youth hiring into Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulations or having the government provide incentives to companies that hire new graduates.”