Overview
- SK Hynix said it now funds its annual employee bonus from 10% of operating profit and that any payout size depends on full-year results.
- Macquarie projected huge per-worker payouts if profits stay high, but SK Hynix declined to predict amounts and only confirmed the 10% rule.
- Samsung’s memory unit is negotiating a 10% profit-share that management says it would lock in for three years, while unions continue to demand 15%.
- The main Samsung union has threatened an 18-day strike from May 21 to June 7 if talks fail, and several brokerages have cut the company’s price targets on expected profit pressure.
- The bonus surge is changing daily life and company budgets, with reports of SK Hynix staff avoiding parental leave because payouts are tied to attendance and with analysts warning that richer incentives and shareholder returns could limit investment.