"Is It Nice to Get Big Bonuses?"... Why Semiconductor Workers Are Frustrated

Polarization Deepens by Workplace Size and Employment Type
Experts Warn of Growing Social Divisions

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to spread, the semiconductor industry is experiencing a "super cycle" (a period of exceptional boom), prompting analysis that wage polarization among workers may further intensify.

On May 24, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the results of the Business Labor Force Survey by Statistics Korea's national statistics portal (KOSIS), that the average monthly wage for regular workers in the "Electronic Components, Computers, Visual, Sound, and Communication Equipment Manufacturing" sector last year was approximately 7.46 million won per person.

As artificial intelligence (AI) spreads, the semiconductor industry is experiencing a "super cycle," leading to concerns that wage polarization among workers may further widen. Getty Images

The gap with temporary and daily workers, whose average monthly wage was only about 2.69 million won, was 4.77 million won. While the monthly wage for regular workers increased by about 710,000 won compared to the previous year, the wage for temporary and daily workers actually decreased slightly, further widening the gap. The monthly wage gap was around 3.16 million won in 2020, meaning it has grown by nearly 1.5 times in five years.

The differences by workplace size were also significant. In workplaces with 300 or more employees, the average monthly wage for regular workers was 9.42 million won, while in workplaces with fewer than 300 employees, it was around 4.5 million won. Temporary and daily workers at workplaces with fewer than 300 employees earned only 1.76 million won per month, which is just one-fifth of the wage of regular workers at large corporations.

This trend of widening gaps between regular and non-regular workers was also observed across all industries. Last year, the average monthly wage for regular workers across all industries was 4.57 million won, which is 2.65 million won higher than the 1.92 million won earned by non-regular workers. The difference, which stood at 1.26 million won in 2007, has more than doubled in 18 years.

The gap in special bonuses was even more pronounced. Last year, the average special bonus for regular workers was 5.87 million won, while for non-regular workers it was only 490,000 won.

Last year, the average annual salary of Samsung Electronics employees was approximately 158 million won, marking a 21.5% increase compared to the previous year. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Experts are concerned that the semiconductor industry's extraordinary performance is being concentrated among regular workers at large corporations, potentially deepening polarization within the labor market. Some point out that the wage gap could create not only economic deprivation but also social discord.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics recently reached a tentative agreement through labor-management negotiations to introduce a special performance bonus system based on the achievements of its semiconductor division, and has begun a vote among union members. Last year, the average annual salary of Samsung Electronics employees was approximately 158 million won, marking a 21.5% increase compared to the previous year. SK hynix also saw its average annual salary rise by 58.1% year-on-year to about 185 million won last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.