South Gyeongsang Province to hold job fair with 607 openings at 126 firms

South Gyeongsang Province announced Monday that it will hold the South Gyeongsang Comprehensive Job Fair on Sept. 16 at Exhibition Hall 1 of the Changwon Convention Center (CECO). A total of 126 companies from across the province will participate, offering 607 positions.

Participating companies are divided into 76 holding on-site interviews and 50 conducting indirect hiring online. The on-site firms plan to fill 428 positions, while the online participants are recruiting for 179. The province had originally planned for 60 on-site and 40 online companies but expanded the overall scale as employer demand continued to grow.

Reflecting the region's industrial base, production and manufacturing roles account for the largest share of on-site hiring at 204 positions, followed by general positions such as sales and administration at 181, technical and engineering roles at 28, and research positions at 15. Most companies are prioritizing full-time hires, with contract positions limited to select service sectors such as retail and logistics.

Major companies representing South Gyeongsang Province will also set up booths, including Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Ocean, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hyundai Rotem. Given the nature of their internal hiring processes, however, these large companies will operate primarily as career consultation booths rather than conducting direct on-site hiring, and are excluded from the on-site hiring tally of 428 positions.

Job seekers can check company information and apply for pre-scheduled interviews through the fair's dedicated website. Those who register in advance can proceed directly to their interviews at a designated time on the day of the event, cutting wait times on the floor. The main stage will feature employment seminars, a "reverse pitching" session in which companies introduce their ideal candidates, and a talk concert where current employees discuss their roles.

Last year's fair drew 107 companies and more than 3,900 job seekers, with 545 people sitting for interviews and 39 ultimately hired. The province said it plans to expand pre-event matching this year to improve actual employment outcomes.

"We expanded the on-site booths to actively reflect companies' hiring needs," said Kang Du-sun, head of the province's industrial workforce division. "We hope job seekers will look up hiring information for companies they are interested in ahead of time and apply actively."