Over 80% of Samsung Foundry workers said they plan to leave their jobs, according to a union‑conducted survey of 8,297 employees. The survey, carried out by the Samsung‑based arm of the United Enterprise Labor Union, found that 81.5% of respondents expressed an intention to quit, a threshold the union says is "very high."

Foundry staff are divided from the memory division, which receives bonuses tied to operating profit targets of 200 trillion won for 2026‑2028 and 100 trillion won for 2029‑2035. Memory workers are projected to earn about 600 million won (roughly $400,000) in bonuses this year, while foundry employees receive only about 6 million won (about $4,000).

Kim Yong‑kwan, president of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions division, said at a town hall on July 3 that the division expects to meet its operating profit goal for the year, which analysts estimate at around 300 trillion won ($200 billion). He added that memory‑division profits are expected to exceed the cumulative earnings of the division since its entry into the semiconductor business.

The union noted that dissatisfaction is highest in the Foundry division, with 75.4% of workers in Samsung LSI and 60.6% in the Semiconductor R&D Center also indicating willingness to switch jobs, compared with 32.7% in the memory division.

Samsung has not publicly responded to the findings. The pay disparity remains unresolved, and its impact on talent retention at the company is uncertain.