One in three domestic corporate executives says, "If AI is efficient, we will replace human hiring."

– About half of executives (47.5%) responded that the introduction of AI is affecting hiring.
– 75% of respondents said new applicants were the most affected
Despite the introduction of AI, human-centered insights and networks are still needed in HR, organizational management, and sales.

A survey found that one in three executives at domestic companies would replace human hiring if AI were judged to be more efficient.

A survey of 244 executives at domestic companies conducted from June 11 to 27 by Deel, a global HR integration platform, and the business card app Remember revealed that one in three (32.5%) of Korean executives are willing to replace human recruiting with AI if AI proves more efficient. Conversely, more than half (56.7%) said they would wait to see how things progress before making a decision. Of these, 75% of respondents predicted that entry-level applicants would be most affected by AI replacement, followed by mid-level management (22%).

In particular, approximately half (47%) of respondents reported that AI adoption is impacting their hiring decisions. Of these, 8% said AI adoption has significantly impacted their hiring decisions. The most impacted roles were development and engineering (35%), followed by customer support (21%) and back-office roles such as accounting and legal (18%). Furthermore, 67% of respondents stated that "AI is reducing the demand for developers by assisting with coding tasks."

However, the majority (74%) responded that there had been no workforce reductions or job changes due to AI over the past year. Only 6% reported experiencing actual workforce reductions, and 20% reported experiencing retraining or job changes due to AI adoption.

As AI adoption gradually increases, 98% of domestic executives responded that "human resource management is necessary even when utilizing AI." In particular, judgment (31%) and creativity (28%) were cited as the most important competencies that AI cannot replace.

Furthermore, areas such as HR and organizational management (29%), B2B sales (26%), compliance and external cooperation (19%), and marketing (18%) were assessed as areas where human-centric insight and networks are essential even with the introduction of AI. Accordingly, 31% of all respondents said they plan to invest in "strengthening AI capabilities" of their workforce by 2025.

"While the adoption of AI is fundamentally reshaping corporate hiring practices, this survey results demonstrate that Korean executives are adopting a pragmatic, human-centered approach," said Park Jun-hyung, Deal Korea's Director of Corporate Account Sales. "While increased efficiency is evident, human judgment, creativity, and relationship-building skills remain irreplaceable. Deal will support companies in developing smart talent strategies for the AI era and in facilitating a smooth transition for global teams."

Meanwhile, Deal, a decacorn HR platform startup valued at 16 trillion won, boasts over 35,000 clients worldwide. With approximately 6,500 employees, all working remotely, Deal surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue in the first quarter of 2025 and processes over $11 billion in annual payroll.