Eight in 10 Companies Demand Working-Level Employes Capable of Reading Data, Survey Shows

Chmn. Moon Dong-min of Korean Standards Association, Senior Executive Vice Presdient Moon Jong-seung of Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances (DA) Division, and CEO Per Ove Øyberg of Nemko Group attend a ceremony in which Samsung Electronics’ Home Appliance Remote Management service received the “AI Trust Mark” from the global certification organization Nemko on March 18. (Photo: KSA)

Most Korean companies said they need AI manpower, particularly working-level ones who can read data on the filed and resolve the pending issues, according to a recent survey.

A survey of 487 Korean company officials on the trend “2026 corporate AI manpower demand trends,” conducted by the Korean Standards Association (KSA) on March 23, showed that 88.4 percent of the respondents said they needed AI manpower.

As for the most in-demand manpower, data analyst ranked No. 1 with a 58.9 percent, followed by AI model-based software developer with 35.9 percent, and AI model developer at 34.7 percent.

Employment standards have changed. According to the survey, 32.9 percent said they prioritized working-level project and field application experiences, followed by 28 percent on communication and cooperation.

But AI model and deep-learning technologies ranked third with 19.9 percent. As of educational background and major requirements, 38.6 percent replied answers unrelated to majors.

As for educational demand, working-level and field application topped with 30.3 percent, followed by 7.5 percent for programing and 6.3 percent for deep-learning technology.

KSA Chmn. Moon Dong-min said, “AI manpower companies require are working-level employees who read data on the field and produce outcomes with the organization, and we will provide support so corporate sites can meet AI technologies through working project-oriented education.”

Samsung Electronics’ Home Appliance Remote Management Becomes Korea’s 1st Service Certified with ‘AI Trust Mark’

Samsung Electronics said on March 16 that its Home Appliance Remote Management service became Korea’s first service certified with the “AI Trust Mark” of the global certification organization Nemko.

The service remotely monitors the status of home appliances and it offers professional advisers’ diagnosis and consultation based on AI-based analysis.

The service is now made available in about 120 countries around, including South Korea.

Nemko is a Norway-based certification body with a history of more than 90 years and manages standards certification in about 150 countries worldwide.

Since 2024, it has been running the AI Trust Mark to guarantee the technical transparency and ethical stability of AI systems.

The certification verifies compliance with international ethics guidelines and safety standards, including data governance, information transparency and accuracy, and cybersecurity, and assessments are conducted based on the EU AI Act and the ISO/IEC 42001 international standard.

Samsung Electronics obtained the certification after being recognized for excellence in its management system to protect personal information and secure service reliability.

The Home Appliance Remote Management service uses AI to detect and manage abnormal signs in home appliances that users may find difficult to notice.

It supports functions including refrigerant leak prediction, which analyses air conditioner and refrigerator compressor and temperature sensor data to detect abnormal temperature changes early; minute door-opening diagnosis, which determines a slight door-opening state that sensors cannot detect using changes in a refrigerator’s internal temperature and cooling patterns; and oil deposition prediction, which forecasts performance deterioration caused by oil and dust accumulation in an air conditioner heat exchanger and provides management guidance.

The service also obtained the Korea Standards Association’s AI+ certification. AI+ certification is a system that assesses the software quality of AI products and AI management systems based on ISO and IEC international standards.

The Home Appliance Remote Management service received high evaluations across overall quality, including AI model performance, software product quality and AI reliability.

Separately, Samsung Electronics holds 17 AI+ certifications across major home appliance categories including refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners, the most in South Korea. The count is as of March 2026.

Moon Jong-seung, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ DA Business Division, said the certification once again proved not only the company’s technology in AI appliances but also its ethical responsibility and reliability.

He said Samsung Electronics will continue to strengthen security and reliability in line with global standards so consumers can use innovative AI appliance experiences with peace of mind.