Seoul to expand unified public hiring to 23 agencies, 200 positions in first half of next year

Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue its unified public-agency hiring program next year, expanding the initiative it launched in the second half of this year. While 18 agencies took part in the inaugural round, the program will grow to cover 23 agencies next year.

The city announced Saturday that it is releasing advance details — including the schedule, hiring scale and changes to exam subjects — ahead of the first-half unified hiring round next year.

Under the unified hiring system, Seoul Metropolitan Government handles application intake and written examinations on behalf of its affiliated public agencies. Document screening, interviews and final selection decisions are then carried out by each agency individually.

The city introduced the unified process in the second half of this year to reduce confusion among job seekers and improve the fairness of hiring procedures, which had previously varied from agency to agency. Last year, 14 public agencies participated and hired a combined total of about 110 people.

Next year's program will include 23 city-affiliated public agencies, with Seoul Metro being the only major entity excluded. This year's inaugural round was limited to one public enterprise — Seoul Agricultural & Marine Products Corp. — along with grant-funded institutions. Next year, larger agencies with significant hiring needs, including Seoul Facilities Corp. and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation, are set to join.

About 200 positions are expected to be filled in the first-half round. Final exam announcements and application intake for the first round are scheduled for March next year, with written exams to follow in April. Document screening and interviews will be conducted by individual agencies in May, and final results are to be announced by each agency in June. Starting next year, the unified hiring program will be held twice annually — once each in the first and second halves of the year.

Beginning with next year's first-half round, the written exam will be partially revised. The National Competency Standards test will be standardized to five areas, and major subject categories for certain job series — including computer science and electrical engineering — will be consolidated. The streamlining is expected to ease the preparation burden for applicants. Subject consolidation will also be extended to additional agencies and job series in the second-half round.

"We will expand the unified public-agency hiring program to further enhance the fairness and efficiency of the recruitment process and provide equal opportunities to all applicants," said Kim Seol-hee, Seoul Metropolitan Government's fiscal planning officer. "We will continue working to improve the system so that both opportunities and processes are fully fair for everyone."