Global Chip Equipment Makers Add 2,500 Korean Workers in Three Years

At a glance

As Samsung Electronics and SK hynix expand investment in high-bandwidth memory (HBM, a high-performance memory that stacks layers to move data quickly) and advanced DRAM, the local workforce of chip equipment companies has also grown sharply. The three companies ASML, Lam Research, and Tokyo Electron have a combined 7,800 employees in Korea this year.

Key points

1. 1

   The Korean workforce of these three companies grew by 2,500 over three years, from 5,300 in 2023, about 1.5 times the earlier level.

2. 2

   Lam Research grew the most, from 1,500 to 2,600. ASML grew to 2,800, and Tokyo Electron grew to 2,400.

3. 3

   Equipment must be aligned to production processes after delivery, and maintained and improved over time, so demand for field engineers is rising.

4. 4

   The industry sees this as a sign that equipment orders are continuing, and expects equipment companies to keep expanding their workforce.

Why it matters

It shows that the chip investment boom is also increasing employment at equipment companies outside the factories.