Record High Earnings in the Oil Refining Industry Amid Soaring Oil Prices... Recruitment Opportunities Wide Open (Comprehensive)

From Production Technology Intern to Key Experienced Positions
Accelerating Capability Enhancement in the New Business Sector

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Thanks to high oil prices, the refining industry, which is forecasting record-breaking performance, has also opened its doors wide for recruitment. They are focusing on attracting new talent through various hiring processes ranging from interns to regular and experienced positions. There is an urgent need for professionals to lead new business sectors beyond the traditional petroleum-based refining business.

According to the industry on the 12th, Hyundai Oilbank is recruiting experienced employees to work at its Daesan headquarters and Seoul office until the 14th. The recruitment fields include process technology, production and technical planning, equipment design, inspection, and production support.

In particular, they are also recruiting experienced professionals in renewable energy sectors such as hydrogen energy, waste plastic recycling, and bioenergy business development, as well as experts in chemical materials new business sectors and trading specialists related to bio and petrochemical products. Applicants who pass the document screening will undergo a non-face-to-face online personality test, followed by practical and executive interviews before being hired.

Hyundai Oilbank also conducted recruitment for regular employee conversion-type interns last month. These interns will be responsible for tasks such as budget management and accounting settlement, and are expected to be converted to regular employees after a 3-month internship and evaluation period.

SK Innovation is also in the process of recruiting new employees. Along with SK Innovation, five affiliates including SK Energy, SK Geocentric, SK On, SK Lubricants, and SK Incheon Petrochem are selecting employees for most roles in management support and business. The application deadline was on the 10th, and after two months of document screening, written tests, and interviews, the final successful candidates will be announced at the end of June. Considering social distancing measures, all stages will be conducted online and non-face-to-face.

GS Caltex, after recruiting production technology interns until last week, is now recruiting experienced personnel for electric vehicle charging. GS Caltex started its electric vehicle charging business in 2019 and currently operates about 100 electric vehicle chargers at over 70 gas stations and LPG charging stations nationwide. Additionally, they are recruiting in various fields such as specialized contract workers for operating the Yeosu bio-demonstration plant and experienced legal staff.

The refining industry is expecting strong performance again this year following last year. Due to the Russia-Ukraine invasion and other factors, international oil prices have maintained around $100 per barrel, and record-breaking performance is expected in the first quarter.

The market expects SK Innovation and S-Oil to record their highest quarterly operating profits ever, each earning over 1 trillion won in the first quarter alone.

SK Innovation and S-Oil’s first-quarter operating profits are forecasted at 1.1 trillion won (Eugene Investment & Securities) and 1.1037 trillion won (Hanwha Investment & Securities), respectively. Especially for S-Oil, it is expected to surpass the 704.1 billion won recorded in the second quarter of 2008, marking the highest quarterly operating profit in its history.

However, refining companies seem to be focusing their recruitment efforts more on new businesses than on traditional refining operations. An industry insider said, "It is a common interest to secure specialized talent to strengthen capabilities in new business sectors beyond refining," adding, "There is a trend of actively recruiting not only new employees but also contract professionals and experienced personnel."

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