기업 및 직무별 임금 데이터 동향 (2026년 10월)
Major shipbuilders like HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean have finalized their wage agreements, securing base pay hikes and lump-sum bonuses. Meanwhile, data from the first half of 2026 shows that surging salaries in the semiconductor and electronics sectors are inflating average wages, while real wage growth remains limited by inflation.
Wage Levels by Company for Key Roles
Recent wage negotiations among major domestic conglomerates for 2026 have wrapped up, revealing specific salary hike figures. The labor and management at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries reached an agreement for their 2026 wage talks, featuring a 120,000 won increase in base pay and an 11.5 million won lump-sum bonus per union member. This is estimated to result in a payout of approximately 41.36 million won per member.
Hanwha Ocean also reached a tentative agreement after 30 rounds of negotiations, which includes a 140,000 won base pay raise and an 8.5 million won lump-sum payment. The agreement covers the operation of a performance bonus task force (TF) and measures to rehire retirees, and it is scheduled for final confirmation through a union member vote on the 29th.
Meanwhile, the gross monthly average wage per regular employee for the first half of 2026 was recorded at 4.318 million won. However, gaps between industries were stark. Workers in the electronics and communications sector—which includes semiconductor manufacturing—averaged 9.434 million won per month, more than double the overall average, pointing to a major factor driving the "high-wage illusion."
Wage Variation Trends by Role
A clear polarization is also observable in wage increase rates across different job functions. According to a survey on second-half 2026 salary negotiations, the average increase rate for development roles stood at 14.9%. This significantly outpaced the increase rates for non-development roles such as sales, marketing, and research (ranging in the 5% to 8% bracket), demonstrating how high demand for IT and software talent directly impacts compensation.
Looking at the distribution of salary increase rates for office workers overall, the median increase rate among respondents was 5%. This suggests that average increase rates can be skewed by a few high-paying groups, meaning the majority of workers experience raises of around 5%.
Analysis and Background Issues
Despite rising nominal wages, the growth rate of real wages appears limited. Real wages for the first quarter of 2026 reached 3.847 million won, marking a mere 1.3% increase. This means a substantial portion of salary bumps has been eaten away by inflation, suggesting that the gap between workers' perceived wages and actual living costs is widening once again.
Additionally, wage gaps driven by company size persist. The average wage at businesses with 300 or more employees was approximately 73.96 million won, whereas businesses with fewer than 300 employees averaged about 45.38 million won—a difference of roughly 28.58 million won. Alongside role-based increase disparities, this structural dualism within the labor market continues to serve as a key background factor cementing wage inequality.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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