'Will this cert get me into SK hynix?' Network manager exam draws 20,000 a year

"Putting down SK hynix as my hope and filling in my specs. Network Manager Level 2 … " — a post by a job seeker targeting SK hynix.

As the AI era takes hold and entry-level hiring faces mounting pressure, about 20,000 people a year are now sitting for the state-certified Network Manager qualification exam.

The surge reflects expectations that demand for AI infrastructure specialists will grow sharply, driven by the global expansion of AI infrastructure projects — including large-scale domestic investment plans announced by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.

The numbers have grown even faster as job seekers come to believe the credential could improve their chances of landing positions at coveted AI-focused employers such as SK hynix.

According to the Korea Information & Communication Qualification Association (ICQA), the number of registrants for the state-certified Network Manager Level 2 exam nearly doubled from 13,208 in 2015 to 21,380 last year.

Registration figures for the past five years were: 18,497 in 2021, 19,969 in 2022, 23,006 in 2023, 22,638 in 2024 and 21,380 last year.

The Network Manager qualification is a state-certified exam that tests candidates' ability to design and operate IT infrastructure. ICQA is among the leading bodies authorized to administer it, alongside the Korea Association for ICT Promotion, the Korea Productivity Center and the Korea Data Agency.

As AI adoption has become a global priority, AI infrastructure projects have expanded rapidly, driving up demand for specialists in the field and raising the credential's profile.

Market research firm Research and Markets projects that South Korea's data center market will grow from about 7.4 trillion won ($4.8 billion) last year to 23.8 trillion won by 2031, a compound annual growth rate of 21.5 percent.

Yet a "2025 Cloud Industry Survey" released by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency showed that the domestic cloud workforce grew by just 8.4 percent in 2024 from the previous year — a sign that supply of AI infrastructure specialists is failing to keep pace with demand.

Industry officials expect demand for AI infrastructure specialists to climb further as new data centers begin full operation this year, with the center of gravity in the IT labor market shifting toward infrastructure roles.

Han Tae-yeol, secretary general of ICQA, said the core of the large-scale AI and data center investment plans announced by the government, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix lies in securing ultra-fast, uninterrupted network infrastructure capable of linking high-performance computing resources. "Even with excellent AI algorithms and software, services cannot be delivered if the underlying infrastructure is inadequate," he said.

Han added that the state-certified Network Manager credential "serves as the basic framework enabling the efficient deployment of AI infrastructure resources and as a job-performance benchmark for cultivating core specialists," and that "the practical value and employment prospects of certified talent will become increasingly visible across both the public and private sectors."