3 in 5 Korean companies still hire by gender

Three in five Korean companies still consider the gender of potential employees when hiring new recruits, a report said Monday.

According to research by job posting firm Saramin on Monday, 63 percent of respondents -- 151 of the 238 companies that took part in Saramin’s survey -- said that the applicant’s gender mattered in the decision to hire.

When asked which gender had an advantage in landing a job, 74 percent of the companies answered male, while the remaining 26 percent chose female.

(123RF)

As for the reasons they thought gender was important, the most cited answer was that “there are tasks more suitable for each gender.” That was followed by “Less pressure in asking for extra hours and out-of-town business trips” and “Facilitates flexible working culture.”

Male workers were preferred in manufacturing and production, business and business management, purchasing and business planning and strategies.

Female workers were preferred for finance and accounting, human resources, design and service.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)