The Number One Expectation of the People from Companies is 'Companies That Create Many Jobs'

KCCI's 'National Communication Project' Conducts Corporate Awareness Survey with 10,000 Citizens
2nd Place: Improvement of Employee Welfare (26%)
3rd Place: Environmentally Friendly Companies (18%)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] A survey found that the type of company most desired by the Korean public is one that creates many jobs. While Korean companies are highly regarded for their contributions to the national economy, unfair trade practices such as abuse of power over suppliers were identified as a major factor negatively affecting corporate perception.

According to a survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) under the theme "The Companies We Want," 35.7% of respondents chose "companies that create many jobs" as the most desired type of company. The survey targeted 10,000 citizens and was conducted over a month (July 12 to August 12).

Following that, respondents chose "companies that care about employee welfare" (25.9%), "companies that strive to protect the environment" (18.0%), "companies that engage in many social contribution projects" (16.0%), and "companies that pay a lot of taxes" (4.0%) in that order.

This survey was unusually conducted with 10,000 citizens as part of KCCI’s "National Communication Project," launched after Chairman Chey Tae-won’s inauguration in March to explore new corporate spirit and the role of companies by gathering diverse voices from various age groups about companies.

7 out of 10 Say "Large Corporations Are Doing Well"... Corporate Perception Becoming More Favorable

The survey drew attention as it showed that public evaluation of companies is generally positive.

In the perception survey on whether Korean companies are performing well, 8 out of 10 people (73.3%) evaluated large corporations as "doing well," and 7 out of 10 (73.9%) rated small and medium enterprises as "average or better," indicating high appreciation for companies’ efforts struggling during the pandemic era.

Among the reasons for positive evaluations of companies, 40.2% of respondents cited their "contribution to the national economy," followed by "contributing to national prestige with excellent products" (33.8%) and "contributing to job creation" (23.1%). On the other hand, only 2.3% mentioned "social contribution," showing that corporate social responsibility surprisingly holds a relatively small weight in corporate evaluations.

Meanwhile, the biggest factor causing negative perceptions of companies was "unfair trade practices such as preferential treatment and abuse of power over suppliers" (32.9%), ranking first and indicating the importance of improvement efforts in this area. Next were "management behaviors such as irregular succession of management rights and accounting fraud" (28.5%), "insufficient worker protection such as performance-driven culture, overtime, and industrial accidents" (23.4%), "consumer deception such as exaggerated advertising and inadequate compensation" (8.8%), and "insufficient environmental response such as harmful substance emissions" (5.8%).

By age group, those in their 30s to 60s and older ranked "unfair trade practices such as preferential treatment and abuse of suppliers" as the top concern, whereas the 10s and 20s age group, many of whom are new to the workforce, most frequently pointed to "insufficient worker protection including performance-driven culture, overtime, industrial accidents, and workplace harassment."

Top Post-COVID Challenge Is "Doing Our Best for Economic Recovery"... MZ Generation Prioritizes "Worker Rights Protection Including Hiring and Wages"

Korean citizens hope that companies will actively engage in economic revitalization in the post-COVID era. The public identified "doing our best for economic recovery" (34.4%) as the top priority for companies in the post-COVID era, followed by "prioritizing worker rights protection including hiring and wages" (31.2%), "ESG management such as environmental protection and social responsibility" (24.9%), and "expanding investment in digital transformation" (9.4%).

Notably, those aged 40 to 60 and older most frequently chose "economic recovery," while the MZ generation (teens to 30s) prioritized "worker rights protection including hiring and wages," reflecting the changing attitudes of younger generations toward corporate roles.

Professor Jang Yong-seok of Yonsei University’s Department of Public Administration said, "Although some companies have recorded record-high performances despite COVID-19, the trend is that quality jobs are gradually decreasing as we move toward a non-face-to-face era. As the public wishes, companies need to prioritize efforts to create jobs."

Meanwhile, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is conducting various activities such as opening a "communication homepage," operating a "university student supporters" program, and conducting "public interviews" to gather diverse opinions about companies. Those wishing to express opinions about companies can use the public participation communication platform website "Sangsang Topic" (www.sotong.korcham.net).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.