Employees
Young at Heart
Key Achievements
Kia is a multinational corporation promoting variety in all forms, including ethnicity, age, and gender. We encourage our employees to be confident in their ideas and try new things in the workplace. There are a variety of supports available, including equal chances, a diverse range of options, and high-efficiency smartwork.
477 persons
New Employment
29 % Increase
Female ration in management
(Compared to 2019)
22.1 years
Average length of service
* Coverage: Domestic site
* Female workers in management correspond to senior managers, senior research engineers and senior counsels
Total Workforce
| (Persons) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea | 35,469 | 35,115 | 35,453 |
| Overseas | 16,979 | 16,774 | 16,522 |
| Unionized workers (%) | 84.9% | 83.9% | 81.3% |
| Total | 52,448 | 51,899 | 51,975 |
Global Workforce by Region
| (Persons) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 (Percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea | 35,469 | 35,115 | 35,453 (68.2%) |
| U.S | 3,075 | 3,169 | 3,288 (6.3%) |
| Mexico | 2,339 | 2,362 | 2,243 (4.3%) |
| Europe | 5,059 | 4,861 | 4,881 (9.4%) |
| China | 4,824 | 4,613 | 4,317 (8.3%) |
| Others | 1,682 | 1 | 1,793 (3.4%) |
| Total | 52,448 | 51,899 | 51,975 (100%) |
* Others : Asia except for China, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
Female Workforce
| (Persons) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female employees | 1,259 | 1,316 | 1,420 |
| Female managers | 117 | 146 | 188 |
* Scope : Domestic(Korea)
* Female workers in management correspond to senior managers, senior research engineers and senior counsels
Status of manager (by nationality)
| Classification | Total Number (Percentage) | G3 and above (Percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Korea | 35,435 (99.949%) | 4,894 (99.67%) |
| U.S | 5 (0.014%) | 5 (0.10%) |
| Canada | 4 (0.011%) | 3 (0.06%) |
| New Zealand | 2 (0.005%) | 2 (0.04%) |
| France | 1 (0.003%) | 0 (0) |
| Swiss | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Belgium | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Spain | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Portugal | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Japan | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Taiwan | 1 (0.003%) | 1 (0.02%) |
| Total | 35,453 (100%) | 4,910 (100%) |
* Based on 2021 domestic employees/ excluding independent directors, advisors, etc.
Employee Education & Training
Training & professional development programs
Kia offers all full time employees various opportunities for self-development and career development.
Employees can take systematic in-house training according to the growth goals they have set for themselves, and are not limited to participate only in in-house learning clubs but also various types of training provided by external facilities as well.
Therefore if it is necessary for the relevant team's requirements or personal needs, employees can also acquire certifications with the company's support.
In 2021, Kia has allocated a budget of 1 million won for each employee's external training, and an employee can request for additional support if necessary
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total education investment budget | 107.5billion | 78.4billion | 105.4billion |
| Education expenses per person | 303thousand | 223thousand | 297thousand |
| Training hours per person | 32hours | 2hours | 33hours |
| Total number of trainees | 114,130persons | 102,327persons | 109,382persons |
| Employee growth system implementation rate | - | 83.5% | 90.0% |
- Education cost per person = total education budget/number of Kia employees (34,565 as of December 2021)
- Total training hours (MH) = ∑ (number of people per course X hours per course)
- Training hours per person = Total training hours (MH) / Number of Kia employees
* 2020 key management indicator (KPI) change: 'employee growth system implementation rate' (number of employees who set competency improvement plan / total growth system target) following the introduction of the new growth system
Job-specific development training programs
Mobility Academy
Kia established the Mobility Academy system in 2021. We operated a total of 10 courses with 23 sessions, including Data Translator and Mobility Pioneer, to preemptively respond to the rapidly changing mobility industry and strengthen the company-wide future business capabilities. Intending to operate 21 courses in 2022
Industry-University Cooperation: Preservation/Mold Technology Academy
Kia signed a cooperation agreement with Korea University of Technology and Education in 2021 to provide high-quality educational opportunities and nurture talented people. Since then, we have been conducting the preservation/mold technology academy for about 150 people in the form of an industry-sponsored-educational institution.
As a professional technology training program that cultivates preservation and mold skills that can be used in the field, the finalists are provided with free support for the entire training process, which combines online training for about 5 months (21 weeks) with on-site theoretical and practical training.
License Acquisition Support
Kia supports national license acquisition programs such as electrical technicians by providing in-house training/practice centers and training programs. Between 2020 and 2021, a total of 570 people participated and 183 people obtained licenses.
Leadership Training Programs
1. Key Program Contents
- Business Management : Presenting Direction, Goal Setting, Performance Management
- Organizational Development : Securing Resources, Forming Teamwork, Promoting Cooperation
- Employee Growth : Promoting Learning, Offering Experience, Career Development
2. Curriculum
- Empowerment Program: Empowerment Program in order to successfully fulfill leadership role (e.g. new team leader on-boarding course, new executives course, new field manager course, etc.)
- Trend Update Program: Learning about the latest business trends and internal and external business environment (Forum Kia, Insight Forum, Future Competency Enhancement Program, etc.)
- Diagnostic Development Program: One-on-One Customized Advanced Program by use of Diagnostic Tools (360 Degree Leadership Feedback System, Corporate Culture Diagnosis, Culture Survey, etc.)
3. Leadership Training Achievements
- Leadership Training Programs provide support for leadership roles and strengthens Kia's leadership pipeline
- Operation of leadership programs for 470 leadership roles (team leaders, department heads and above)
- Operation of Outstanding Talent Program for 240 potential leaders
* Scope of Education: Full-time employees
Leadership Training Programs
7 leadership training curricula from the perspective of business, organizational development, and employee growth
2021 Result
| Program name | contents | Target | Time | participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kia/Hyundai Top Leader | Exploring the impact and connection of external environmental changes on the enterprise | Head of Division or higher | 20 | 8 |
| Insight Forum | Expert insight sharing (management/economy, international situation, technological change, etc.) | Senior Vice president or higher | 2 | 80 |
| Leaders Learninglab | Voluntary small learning groups related to management and technology (mobility, digital economy, metaverse, MZ generation) | Head of Group or higher | 20 | 20 |
| Improving executive competency | Data-based decision-making process workshop (data leadership, case studies, etc.) | Head of Group or higher | 11 | 7 |
| Basic Leadership | Envisining/Engagement/Empowerment | a new Head of Group | 22 | 23 |
| Coaching | Coaching Skills and Self-Awareness for the Development of Coaching Leadership | Head of department or higher | 45 | 12 |
| LSV De-briefing | Understanding LSV, developing leadership plans | Head of department or higher | 3 | 62 |
Managerial and leadership development training at multiple levels
Employment
To lead the future mobility industry, Kia is continuously hiring talented people in new technologies and businesses. In addition, by operating the "Veteran" system for retired employees with highly skilled techniques and experience, the company supports them so that they continue to utilize their expertise and contribute to industrial development after retirement.
Kia operates a reemployment program and a job change support program according to the life cycle of employees who wants to change jobs for career change. In addition to the career change outside the organization, Kia also operates a system for changing jobs through retraining course, if an employee wants to change to a new career(e.g. a job change within the organization), or needs to change his/her duties due to business changes.
Recruitment Status (Domestic)
(Unit : Persons)
| Classification | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Number of Newly Hired Employees | 426 | 300 | 600 | |
| By age | 20-29 years old | 226 | 168 | 374 |
| 30~39 years old | 92 | 82 | 168 | |
| 40~49 years old | 43 | 27 | 42 | |
| over 50 years old | 65 | 23 | 16 | |
| Gender | Male | 335 | 247 | 491 |
| Female | 91 | 53 | 109 | |
| By region | Headquarters | 113 | 121 | 240 |
| Gwangmyeong | 90 | 24 | 71 | |
| Hwaseong | 91 | 43 | 118 | |
| Gwangju | 23 | 27 | 53 | |
| Namyang Research Lab | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Etc. | 122 | 82 | 113 | |
| By nationality* | Korea | 420 | 297 | 595 |
| USA | - | 1 | 2 | |
| China | 1 | - | - | |
| India | - | - | - | |
| Etc. | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
| Percentage of open positions filled by internal candidates (Internal hires) | 31% | 21% | 28% | |
* Recruitment status by nationality is counted from 2021
Status of Labor Union Membership (Domestic)
(Unit : Persons)
| Classification | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total member | 1,244 | 1,194 | 1,167 |
| Rate of membership (%) | 3.70 | 3.50 | 3.51 |
Retirement/turnover status (Domestic)
(Unit : Persons)
| Classification | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By age | 20s | 48 | 49 | 38 |
| 30s | 41 | 49 | 64 | |
| 40s | 50 | 54 | 41 | |
| 50s | 542 | 832 | 66 | |
| 60s or more | 28 | 28 | 838 | |
| Gender | Male | 682 | 974 | 1,005 |
| Female | 27 | 38 | 42 | |
| Total | 709 | 1,012 | 1,047 | |
| Total Turnover* (%) | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | |
| Voluntary Turnover** (%) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | |
* Total turnover rate (%) = Number of employees who retired during the reporting period / (Number of employees at the beginning of the reporting period + Number of employees at the end of the reporting period / 2)
** Voluntary turnover rate is limited to voluntary retirees, excluding full-age retirement
Welfare
Legally mandated fringe benefits
Health insurance, industrial insurance, national pension, employment insurance
Vehicles/transportation
Car purchasing/repair, commute bus, fuel, and transportation expenses etc.
Safety/health/hygiene
Medical services, group accident insurance, physical checkups, health clinics, etc.
Living
Meals/snacks, expenses/vacations for family events, apartments/dorms, personal pension plans, Labor-Management Joint Fund etc.
Education
School and education expenses for employee's children and in-house daycare centers, etc.
Culture / Career-development
Vacation allowance, credits, long-service/retirement awards (travel), sports day, hotels and resorts for summer vacation, etc.
Support for retirees
Veterans program, etc.
Welfare expenditure
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenditure (KRW 100 mil) |
6,091 | 6,093 | 6,191 |
| Per-person expenditure (KRW mil) |
18 | 18 | 18 |
Parental Leave
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 67 | 94 | 93 |
| Female | 55 | 54 | 61 |
| Rate of return (%) | 98 | 97 | 99 |
* Methodology for counting parental leave: Those who have more than 1 day of parental leave in the year
* Methodology for calculating the return rate: Number of people who are eligible to return to parental leave for the year
Welfare System/Program Operation Status at Kia
Working System
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Flexible work hours | Able to work voluntarily within 52 hours per week (average) of working hours per month, Core working hours are 5 hours from Monday to Thursday and 4 hours on Friday |
| Remote working | Implementation of remote work system based on autonomy and responsibility (Varies by place of work and job group) |
| Part-time working | Operate only for some jobs (driving manager 7 hours/day, service manual multilingual translation 4 hours/day) |
| Internet Phone / Text Service | Free use of Internet calls and text messages (200 calls/month) through the ERP system that can be installed on personal mobile devices |
| Commuter Bus | For employee commuting convenience, commuter buses are operated at all workplaces (operating more than 4 times depending on time, on more than 200 routes in total) |
| Moving Expenses | In the event of a change of residence due to a new position, moving expenses are supported according to the distance (transportation expenses, logistics expenses, etc.) |
| Base office | Trial operation of 5 major locations in the metropolitan area and 6 shared office locations in the Seoul area |
| Operation of in-house laundry / barber shop/clinic | Operating free laundry for engineers in Korea Plants to wash working clothes / in-house clinic for employee health care /in-house barber shop at affordable prices |
Child birth/Child care support
(Welfare services for children include adoptees and stepchildren)
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Parental leave (women/men) | Up to 2 years of parental leave per child (under 8 years old, under second grade of elementary schools) |
| Maternity leave | 90 days of maternity leave for pregnant women before and after childbirth (120 days for multiple fetuses) / Maternity leave for male workers is 10 days of paid leave |
| Infertility treatment support | Provide support with 3 days of paid leave for counseling and procedures related to infertility |
| Shortened work hours during childcare periods | Up to 2 years of reduced working hours during childcare period (5 to 25 hours per week) for each child (under 8 years old, under second grade of elementary schools) |
| Work daycare center / Consigned childcare facility | Autoland Gwangmyeong/Hwaseong/Gwangju and Yangjae Headquarters operate a total of 4 workplace daycare centers |
| Education support for children with disability | Support for the use of special district educational facilities for children with disabilities (KRW 6 million per person/year) |
| Family leave | Up to 90 days of a year can be used to care for the family member due to illness, accident or old age |
Vacation support
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Summer vacation | 5 days of paid leave per year |
| Pro dream vacation | 5 days of personal annual leave can be used with additional 10 days of paid leave for senior managers on the promotion |
| Long-term employment award | 5 days of paid leave available for the 21st year only for employees who have served 20 years of service |
| Vacation over retirement | 30 days of paid leave that can be used for the annual leave of absence is provided in the case of retirement after 20 years of service |
| Four seasons resort operation | Offers member-price accommodation benefits for a total of 33 resorts |
Healthcare
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Medical insurance | National health insurance / Group accident insurance (injury, hospitalization, death, cancer) / Support for hospital expenses for employees, spouses and children (KRW 40 million/person) |
| Mental care | Provide online psychological tests and offline psychological counseling services for employees, their spouses, and children (12 times a year / Designate a counseling center near their residence in connection with the national psychological counseling center) |
| Healthy snacks | Providing meal options such as healthy salads, vegetarian meals, and take-out menus |
| Regular medical examinations | Provision of mandatory legal general examination once a year for all employees and additional examination and recognition of attendance, additional check-ups for employees over 40 years of age (electrocardiogram, thyroid ultrasound, blood cancer test, etc.) |
| General examination | Every 10 years of tenure (every 3 years for those over 40), 50% of the support is provided by the company to one member of the employee’s family every year |
| Fitness facility | Operating Autoland Gwangju/Gwangmyeong/Hwaseong and Yangjae Headquarters fitness center |
Life/Convenience support
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Congratulatory and condolatory benefits | Congratulatory and condolences leave and congratulations and condolences support, Support for mourners and condolences items (garlands, etc.) |
| Child scholarships | Secondary/High School/University tuition, early childhood education expenses, and special education expenses |
| Housing support fund | Support for up to KRW 60 million in housing funds (purchase/jeonse*) by length of service *lump-sum housing lease |
| Staff apartment | Operates 482 households near Autoland Gwangmyeong and 536 households near Autoland Hwaseong |
| Appointment and moving | Support for household items and family relocation expenses for employees who move out over a certain distance |
| Vehicle discount | Vehicle discount support according to years of service |
| Points | Payment of welfare points and self-development points and operation of employee shopping malls |
| Partnership discounts | Affiliate discounts for hotel/resort accommodation and shopping through a year-round |
Culture support
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Clubs | Support for monthly club activity expenses |
Others
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed salary in case of sick leave | Partial compensation for sick leave or sick leave due to physical or mental disability or disease (varies by period) In case of industrial accidental leave due to work-related injuries or diseases, compensation is paid in addition to the amount paid by the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (30% of normal wages) |
Employee wage (2021)
(Unit: KRW million)
| Gender category | Average wage |
|---|---|
| Male | 102 |
| Female | 79 |
| All employees | 101 |
* Based on domestic employees