Korean Workers Find Grass No Greener at Foreign Firms
By Reuben Staines
Staff Reporter
Kim Jong-cheol
Landing a job at a foreign company remains a dream for many South Korean graduates, but those who are recruited often find the grass is no greener on the other side, employees and industry experts warn.
Employment market analysts said young job hunters often target foreign firms and multinationals because they believe they will offer better working conditions and more money.
The desire to work for foreign-owned firms among graduates is extremely strong, said Jung Yu-min, a managing director at Job Korea, which provides information and forecasts on the employment market.
However jobseekers concept of what it will be like working for a foreign company is poles apart from reality she said.
What is most misunderstood is that their will be little overtime at foreign companies she said. But the workload and competitiveness of these companies is often much greater than they expect.
New recruits who struggle to adjust to the different working culture often end up quitting after less than one year she said.
Yu noted that foreign companies are particularly popular among women many of whom feel their opportunities are limited in domestic firms where Confucian thought prevails.
Graduates proficient in English also feel they have an advantage in applying for multinationals. In fact, they don뭪 really need to have a high level of English because foreign companies here focus on marketing to Koreans, she said.
Some employees at foreign firms also complain that they do more work than foreign staff but earn less.
Korean workers at foreign companies are treated differently than the foreign workers, an employee at U.S. healthcare product manufacturer operating here said. We have less opportunities and have to work much longer hours.
The 32-year-old, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while his experience working for a foreign firm will help him to get a better job, he plans to shift to a Korean company soon.
An employee at a Japanese education and human resources firm said the office environment at his company is similar to that of a Korean firm.
He said the firm뭩 office in Seoul is staffed entirely by Koreans, hours are long and the management style is top-down.
Despite these concerns, however, Kim Jong-cheol, president of the Korea Foreign Company Employees?Human Network (KOFEN), believed workers who have realistic expectations are satisfied with working for multinationals.
Kim, who has worked for Swiss Chemical Co. for more than 10 years, established KOFEN (www.kofen.org) in 1999 to share information and build a network among South Koreans who work for foreign businesses.
He said a survey conducted by KOFEN several years ago canvassing 2,000 members found 85 percent were satisfied with their jobs. The group now has more than 10,000 members, including 200 in Japan, Kim said.
Working for a foreign company provides more fairness, open opportunities and clearness of role than working for a Korean company, he said.
The company culture created by managers in foreign-owned firms generally allowed more independence and freedom for workers, Kim said.
While he acknowledged that compensation and opportunities for promotion differ for Korean and non-Korean employees, Kim believed on the whole foreign firms offer a better working environment.
But he advised graduates to look for a job at a Korean company first because foreign-owned businesses prefer experienced staff.
Kim said KOFEN, which evolved out of an English conversation club he established in 1998, plays an important role by providing support and information for foreign company employees. As the number of foreign-invested firms here continues to increase, he hopes KOFEN will act as an important ``human network뮃 of experienced, skilled workers.
rjs@koreatimes.co.kr 01-10-2006 20:43젨
