"Nuclear Power is the Trend"…Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the Only Public Power Company Hiring New Employees in the Second Half of the Year

View of Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4 at Saeul Nuclear Power Plant (Photo by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is the only company among Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and public power generation companies to recruit new personnel in the second half of this year. This is interpreted as part of the government's national agenda to restore the nuclear power industry ecosystem, including the abolition of the nuclear phase-out policy and strengthening overseas nuclear power exports.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 15th, KHNP will recruit 165 new employees in the second half of this year. This includes 150 new hires and 15 research personnel. Among the new hires, 99 are in the nuclear power field, the largest number, followed by civil engineering (27), hydroelectric and pumped storage (10), office (10), and ICT (Information and Communication Technology, 4).

Contrary to the recent government policy of reducing personnel in public institutions, KHNP is strengthening its workforce to foster the nuclear power industry. According to the Public Institution Management Information Disclosure System (ALIO), KHNP's hiring scale has decreased annually over the past five years, from 599 in 2017, 424 in 2018, 413 in 2019, 422 in 2020, and 418 in 2021, but increased to 455 this year, the first year of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

The workforce in the domestic nuclear power industry has steadily decreased due to the previous government's nuclear phase-out policy. According to the Nuclear Industry Status Survey Report published by the Korea Nuclear Industry Association, the domestic nuclear power industry workforce decreased by about 2,000 people over three years, from 37,261 in 2017, early in the Moon Jae-in administration, to 35,276 in 2020.

As the domestic nuclear power industry shrank due to the nuclear phase-out policy, the number of nuclear power majors has also decreased over the past five years. Based on 17 universities with nuclear-related departments in Korea, the number of university entrants dropped by 24.1%, from 802 in 2016 to 608 last year. During the same period, the number of enrolled students also decreased by 17.4%, from 2,543 to 2,165, indicating that the domestic nuclear power industry ecosystem is being shaken, according to the Nuclear Industry Association.

In response, the government plans to strengthen technology development and human resource training as part of the national agenda for becoming a 'nuclear power strong nation,' including establishing a high-level radioactive waste fusion graduate school next year. A KHNP official stated, "We have started recruiting talent to strengthen the country's energy competitiveness," and added, "The final successful candidates will be announced in January next year through the first and second rounds of screening next month."

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