Last year, the typical monthly salary for full-time employees in major electronic component factories, particularly those focused on semiconductors like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, was almost 10 million South Korean won. With the growth of performance-linked bonuses fueled by the semiconductor boom, this year could see the figure exceed 10 million South Korean won for the first time ever.
As per the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 17th, the average monthly salary for regular employees (including fixed, overtime, and special bonuses) at large companies with 300 or more workers in the ‘manufacturing of electronic components, computers, video, sound, and communication equipment’ sector last year was 9,418,797 South Korean won. This represented a 13% rise compared to the previous year. This rate of growth is 1.9 times higher than the average wage increase of 6.9% for the entire manufacturing sector with 300 or more employees during the same time frame. The growth rate by specific business categories ranks second only behind the ‘water transport industry’ (23%).
Regarding salary levels, it is ranked fifth after ‘manufacturing of coke, briquettes, and petroleum refined products’, 10,881,379 Korean won, ‘postal and telecommunications services’, 10,320,743 Korean won, ‘financial and insurance-related services’, 10,027,224 Korean won, and ‘water transport industry’, 9,500,467 Korean won.
The average monthly salary in the electronic component manufacturing industry saw a slowdown in its growth rate from 2020, when it was 6,924,922 Korean won, to 2023, when it reached 8,839,559 Korean won. In 2024, the figure was 8,336,818 Korean won, which showed a decline compared to the previous year due to weak semiconductor exports, but returned to an upward trend the following year.
This is seen as a consequence of performance bonuses given last year, as electronic component firms, particularly those focused on semiconductors, experienced a recovery in their results fueled by the surge in AI-related investments.
Specifically, it has been examined that the salary hikes at leading global semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, had a substantial effect. As per Samsung Electronics’ 2025 business report released in March, the average employee salary reached a record high of 158 million Korean won. This represented a 21.5% rise from the previous year’s average pay of 103 million Korean won.
In the same year, the average salary for SK Hynix employees also hit a record high of 185 million South Korean won. This represented a 58.1% rise from the previous year’s average of 117 million South Korean won.
This year, during a significant surge in the semiconductor sector, the salary growth within the electronic parts industry is anticipated to rise even more. A 6.2% increase from the previous year would surpass the 10 million South Korean won threshold.
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