SK hynix's non-manufacturing workers demand 8.25% wage hike in 2025 negotiations

SK hynix's headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province / Newsis

Unionized non-manufacturing workers at chip giant SK hynix have entered wage negotiations with management, demanding an 8.25 percent pay increase, industry sources said Friday.

The two sides held their first round of talks for the 2025 wage deal Wednesday, according to the sources.

The union, one of the company's two major unions, demanded an 8.25 percent hike in salary and other benefits, citing the company's record-breaking performance last year.

In 2024, the company and the union agreed on a 5.7 percent rise in wages.

That year, SK hynix posted a record 19.8 trillion won ($14.4 billion) in net profit and 66.2 trillion won in sales on the back of rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, including high bandwidth memory (HBM).

The company gave additional bonuses totaling 1,500 percent of their base salary to its employees earlier this year.

SK hynix holds separate wage negotiations with its unions for office and manufacturing workers.