Prosperous shipbuilding requires new face

Coming into the second quarter this year, shipbuilding companies are enjoying favorable conditions and planning to expand man-power this quarter.
One source in the industry said that Samsung shipbuilding has been selecting candidates by examining their carrier papers and will hire about 200 people, a 30% increase over the 150 new hires in the first half last year. 95% will be selected from graduates who majored in naval architecture, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and chemical engineering, with the rest coming from the humanities.
Hyundai Heavy Industries is also considering taking on around 100 new hires, about double that of last year.
An HHI spokesperson said, "Each business division is considering increasing its man-power to keep up with orders this year. However, the actual number of new employees could change depending on the number of applicants."
Most enterprises are reducing hiring plans or stopping altogether as business predictions are generally gloomy.
However, shipbuilders with two and half years of backorders still require people to design the vessels and build them.
DSME also reported that it expects to hire a total of about 100 people in the first half this year. After escaping from its work-out program, the company has been hiring new people to fill vacancies and new positions. DSME has already surpassed its yearly goals by receiving 31 vessels orders worth 900 million dollars.