Amid intensifying competition to secure top talent in the critical semiconductor market, US-based Micron Technology is reaching out to Korean universities, offering students on-the-spot hiring opportunities and attractive benefits packages.

In response, Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are also ramping up their efforts, forging partnerships with overseas universities and having their CEOs deliver speeches to appeal to young talent.

Micron, the world’s third-largest DRAM memory chip maker after Samsung and SK hynix, is organizing recruitment fairs in Korean universities, including Konkuk University and Seoul National University of Science and Technology. The events target students graduating from science and engineering majors as well as master’s and doctoral degree holders.

What makes these rare job fairs in Korea even more notable is the company's bold offer to hire students on the spot after just two interview sessions, on the day of the event.

“Candidates who apply in advance will undergo a preinterview before the recruitment fair. The final hiring decisions will be made after one additional interview on the day of the event,” the company’s recruitment poster reads.

The company is reportedly recruiting for 10 roles, including process, quality, equipment and production. Successful candidates will work in Micron’s facilities in Taiwan. Micron is aggressively expanding its production of High Bandwidth Memory chips -- the most advanced DRAM chip used to enhance AI process performance for graphic processing units -- in its fabrication plants in Taichung and New Taipei in Taiwan.

Amid the global shortage of semiconductor professionals, Korean companies have also stepped up efforts to secure young talents.

SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung is directly engaging in such efforts, delivering special lectures in universities. Earlier this month, Kwak addressed Korea University students in Seoul to underscore the company’s strengths in technology.

“SK hynix has grown to where it is today by overcoming numerous challenges over the past 40 years, thanks to its focus on technology. Behind that technology lies talent. When we say we are technology-driven, it means talent-driven,” Kwak said on Dec. 2.

The world’s second-largest DRAM chip maker also hosted Tech Day events at five universities in Korea, including Seoul National University and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, to reach out to master’s and doctoral-level students specializing in chip-related research, from August to September.

This year, the company has held five rounds of recruitment of experienced professionals.

Samsung, the world’s largest DRAM chip maker, is also strengthening partnerships with American universities.

Earlier this month, Samsung donated $1 million to the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where the chipmaker operates a semiconductor foundry.

Under the partnership, Samsung and UT Austin are preparing to launch a master’s program focused on chip design and manufacturing, set to begin in the fall of 2025.

Samsung also made donations to Texas A&M University last year, and $60,000 to Temple University to accelerate the development of chip talent within the local ecosystems, in October this year.

Similar to SK hynix, Samsung also holds Tech & Career Forum, and has increased the number of participating schools from five in 2023 to six this year.

“The demand for highly skilled professionals in the semiconductor industry is increasing, and US companies are offering exceptional compensation and benefits for chip engineers,” Lee Jong-hwan, a system semiconductor engineering professor at Sangmyung University, said.

“As competition for semiconductor talents intensifies, Korean chipmakers like Samsung and SK hynix are expected to invest millions of dollars in US universities to attract top-tier talent."

The Semiconductor Industry Association predicts that Korea's semiconductor industry will face a shortage of around 56,000 workers by 2031.