Samsung Foundry Workers Show High Intent to Leave, Union Survey Finds
A union survey indicates that 81.5% of Samsung Electronics' foundry employees are considering leaving within two years, citing compensation disparities and bonus structures.
A significant portion of employees within Samsung Electronics' semiconductor foundry division are contemplating departure, according to a survey released by the Samsung Electronics union. The data reveals that 62% of respondents expressed a "very high" intention to leave within two years, with an additional 19% citing a "high" intention, summing up to 81.5% of foundry workers considering leaving.
This contrasts sharply with satisfaction levels in other divisions. Across Samsung's entire Device Solutions (DS) division, the overall intention to leave within a short period was 49.5%. The memory business reported a considerably lower rate of 32.7%, while the System LSI business, the second highest after foundry, stood at 75.4%.
Industry analysts suggest that disparities in the performance bonus system are a key driver of this discontent. A special bonus, capped at 10.5% of operating profit, was implemented in May and is allocated based on individual business unit performance. This structure means that employees in the foundry or System LSI divisions, even with the same base salary, might receive approximately one-third of the bonus compared to colleagues in the memory division. Workers feel their compensation does not adequately reflect their labor contributions.