With the domestic employment rate rising to 62.9% in July and the unemployment rate recording 2.9%, marking the lowest level in 23 years, awards were presented to top companies leading domestic job creation.

Applied Materials Korea announced on the 10th that it was selected as a '2022 Korea Job Creation Excellence Company' by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The Korea Job Creation Excellence Award is a system that selects and awards certification plaques to companies that have increased jobs and proactively improved the quality of jobs. This year, evaluations were conducted in various areas, including on-site inspections by local labor offices, consultations with labor and management organizations, and deliberation by the selection committee, for candidate companies selected based on factors such as employment growth performance.

Applied Materials Korea, which employs over 2,000 people across 12 business sites nationwide including Bundang, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Icheon, and Cheonan, actively created jobs by hiring over 800 new employees over the past three years, even amidst the global pandemic.

In addition, Applied operates various systems to promote work-life balance, health, and safety for its employees, including staggered work hours, early departure on Family Days, nursing rooms, and visiting nurses. Notably, during the pandemic, the company provided employees with masks and rapid antigen test kits and implemented flexible remote work and vaccine leave policies. It also supports employee competency development through programs such as overseas job training and graduate school support.

"As a long-time partner of the domestic semiconductor and display industries and the local community, being selected as a top company for job creation in Korea is very meaningful," said Mark Lee, CEO of Applied Materials Korea. "Applied Materials will continue to do its best to maintain a great working environment by caring for employees and supporting their competency development."

Meanwhile, Applied is also accelerating its domestic investment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy last July to establish a domestic research and development (R&D) center. The advanced R&D center is scheduled to be located in Gyeonggi Province and is expected to become an innovation hub where Applied collaborates with customers and accelerates the development of semiconductor-related technologies.