Long Lines 30 Minutes Before Opening... Event Attracts Large Crowd of Job Seekers

'2023 Hanguk Pharmaceutical Bio Job Fair' Held
"Must Secure Outstanding Talent to Drive Innovation and Development"

"Please line up in order of your waiting number. If you register now, consultation will be available in the afternoon."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 19th at the aT Center in Seocho-gu, the site of the ‘2023 Korea Pharmaceutical Bio Job Fair.’ At a booth set up by a major pharmaceutical company, an HR team staff member was guiding job seekers on the waiting order and estimated waiting time. Job seekers were holding the pharmaceutical bio industry guidebook distributed by the organizer and were lined up at various booths, waiting for consultations.

Job seekers hoping to work in pharmaceutical bio companies gathered at the fair venue even before the fair started. Although there were about 30 minutes left until the fair’s opening time at 10 a.m., the entrance was already crowded with job seekers. They hurriedly completed on-site registration and then studied the booth layout map to strategize the order in which to visit companies.

A total of 67 companies and institutions participated in this fair. They set up recruitment booths and provided job consultations by job category for job seekers, as well as held recruitment briefings and career consulting sessions. In a separate space designated as the Job Mentoring Hall, current employees of pharmaceutical and bio companies conducted consultations with job seekers. This fair was co-hosted by the Korea Pharmaceutical Bio Association, Korea Health Industry Development Institute, and Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health and Welfare. This year’s event was held for the second consecutive year following last year. Last year’s event was also resumed after three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a representative of the Pharmaceutical Bio Association, the number of participating companies this year is similar to last year’s, but the number of attendees has increased. As of 3 p.m. on the day, the number of attendees reached 3,973, which is an increase compared to last year’s event.

Major large pharmaceutical companies such as Chong Kun Dang, Yuhan Corporation, and Daewoong Pharmaceutical had booths where job seekers lined up immediately after the 10 a.m. opening. Some booths were so popular that waiting numbers quickly rose into the dozens right after opening. At the booths, current employees or HR managers from each company provided job consultations according to job categories. Since many participating companies are currently recruiting or preparing to recruit, job seekers approached consultations with a serious attitude. Currently, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Daewon Pharmaceutical, Chong Kun Dang, Handok, and Huons are conducting open recruitment for new and experienced employees in conjunction with this job fair. A representative from one pharmaceutical company who was guiding waiting job seekers at the booth entrance explained, "We assign consultation rooms according to applicants’ desired job categories and conduct one-on-one face-to-face consultations in order of waiting numbers."

Many young job seekers also gathered at the on-site recruitment briefings. Following the opening ceremony, SK Bioscience’s recruitment briefing attracted such a large crowd that there was not even enough space to stand, and some attendees listened to the briefing at the entrance of the briefing hall. Other companies’ recruitment briefings showed similar scenes. The recruitment briefings, held at two separate locations, featured 13 pharmaceutical and bio companies including SK Bioscience, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, GC Green Cross, Ildong Pharmaceutical, JW Group, and Daewon Pharmaceutical.

The pharmaceutical and bio industry emphasized the importance of securing talented personnel through this fair. Noh Yeon-hong, chairman of the Korea Pharmaceutical Bio Association, stated, "The pharmaceutical and bio industry creates 130,000 jobs annually, and its employment growth rate is nine times the industry average," adding, "To leap forward as a pharmaceutical and bio powerhouse, securing excellent talent who can drive industrial innovation and development is paramount." Cha Soon-do, president of the Health Industry Development Institute, also said, "The pharmaceutical and bio industry has proven to be a future growth engine and plays a significant role in creating youth jobs," and added, "We will provide generous support to help realize the dreams of young people who will become key members of the industry."

On the morning of the 19th, participants including Noh Yeon-hong, President of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (second from the right), are performing the opening ceremony at the opening of the 2023 Korea Pharmaceutical Bio Job Fair held at aT Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Lee Myung-hwan]

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