Cosmax Group added "AI utilization capability" as a preferred qualification for all new hires this year - not just developers but marketing, sales, procurement, and R&D candidates. The cosmetics manufacturer made the change in its first-half open recruitment, and it is not alone. Across manufacturing, consumer goods, and even public institutions, AI proficiency is becoming a baseline job requirement rather than a specialist skill.
Job portal data confirms the shift. An analysis by Jobkorea of postings from January through May this year found that listings with "AI" in the title numbered about 15,000 - a 70 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Among entry-level listings specifically, those containing AI keywords rose roughly 80 percent year-on-year.
AI skills spread beyond tech roles
Kolmar Korea listed "possession of AI utilization capability" alongside computer skills and ERP experience as preferred qualifications in a rolling recruitment last month for a vendor management position at its Sejong plant. The requirement was absent from the same role in April but appeared from August onward. Kyung Dong Navien went further in June, specifying "generative AI operation" alongside Microsoft Office skills for an HR operations manager at its Eco Hub facility in Pyeongtaek.
Applicants are being asked to show their work. Cosmax required candidates to describe in their personal statements any experience using AI tools to strengthen their skills or improve work efficiency. A Cosmax spokesperson said, "Starting with this open recruitment, we added 'AI utilization capability' to our preferred qualifications."
Even traditional manufacturing sectors are affected. Agricultural machinery maker TYM is recruiting for autonomous driving and AI-related R&D roles at its Iksan facility. Kyung Dong Group listed "excellence in AI platform utilization" for an entry-level insulation R&D internship - a position focused on polyurethane boards and panels, not AI development.
Policy changes reinforce the trend
The Ministry of Employment and Labor revamped its basic vocational competencies framework in April, renaming it "common vocational competencies" and adding "AI utilization capability" as a subcategory under digital skills. The move is credited with pushing private-sector employers to treat AI proficiency as a core hiring criterion.
Public institutions are responding with their own hiring. Korea Industrial Complex Corp. is recruiting 22 new and experienced staff for the second half of the year, with its National Competency Standards-based notice listing "industrial complex AX new business planning and operations" as an experienced-hire category. The agency's full-time youth hiring this year totals 43 people - more than double the figure from a year earlier.
Education technology company i-Scream Edu conducted an integrated second-half recruitment for its AI Strategy Business Division, seeking candidates for AI development, data architecture, service planning, and engineering roles. The company has since broadened its hiring scope beyond development to include AI service planning and is currently searching for an AI and data organization leader.
Job losses concentrate in AI-exposed sectors
The rising demand for AI-capable workers comes alongside a shrinking overall job market for young people. A Bank of Korea issue note published August 18, titled "Youth Employment Slump - Is AI to Blame?", found that the number of jobs held by young people fell by 285,000 over the four years from June 2022 to June this year. Of those losses, 94 percent - 268,000 jobs - occurred in sectors with high AI exposure.
Why this matters for HR professionals
When Kyung Dong Navien lists generative AI skills alongside Excel for an HR operations role, the message is clear: AI proficiency is becoming a standard requirement for generalist HR positions, not just technical ones. HR teams need to update job descriptions, screening criteria, and interview processes to assess AI capability across all functions. For HR professionals themselves, building AI skills is no longer optional. Structured learning paths like AI Learning Path for HR Managers and AI for Human Resources courses offer ways to develop the generative AI and HR tech skills that are now appearing in job postings. The competency framework change from the Ministry of Employment and Labor also signals that government-backed training standards will increasingly include AI - a factor HR leaders should account for in workforce planning and L&D budgets.
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