E-commerce giant Coupang was the third-largest business in South Korea in terms of staff as of the third quarter of this year, following Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, a market research firm said Tuesday.

The report released by CEOScore showed that Coupang hired a total of 43,171 employees as of late September, rising from the fourth-biggest employer position to the third. The report was based on data from the number of subscribers to the National Pension Service.

Coupang’s rise was due to its efforts to create new jobs despite the pandemic this year.

From February to September, the company added 13,744 staff, double the combined figure of Hanwha Solution and Samsung Electronics during the same period. The Hanwha and Samsung affiliates increased staff by 3,025 and 2,895, respectively.

The company’s direct recruitment of delivery workers, dubbed as “Coufriend” meaning Coupang Friend, has contributed to raising its overall employment status.

Coupang hired over 10,000 Coupang Friend workers as of July, based on differentiated working conditions from other delivery companies, which included 15 days of paid leave and subscriptions to the four major state insurance schemes.

“Coupang is trying to achieve shared growth through job creation like Samsung and Hyundai did in the past during the economic growth period,” a company official explained. “The company will continue to hire and invest to create a quality work environment.”

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)