A Samsung Electronics flag flies outside the company's offices in Seocho-gu, Seoul. (Newsis) Samsung Electronics employees earned an estimated average of 36 million won ($26,500) in the first quarter of 2026, or roughly 12 million won per month, according to a report released Monday by the Korea CXO Institute.The chaebol tracker estimated Samsung’s total payroll at between 4.25 trillion won and 4.79 trillion won based on the company’s reported “salary by nature” figure of 5.6 trillion won for the January-March period. Historically, Samsung’s payroll has accounted for about 76 percent to 85.5 percent of that category, the institute said.The latest figure marks the first time Samsung Electronics’ salary-by-nature expenses exceeded 5 trillion won, up from 4.45 trillion won a year earlier.Using the national pension registration figure of 125,580 employees, the institute calculated the average quarterly salary at around 36 million won, equivalent to roughly 12 million won a month.That compares with an estimated average of 27 million won to 30 million won in the first quarter of last year, implying an increase of about 25 percent. The rise sharply outpaced the previous year’s estimated growth rate of 11.6 percent.The Korea CXO Institute said the increase reflected stronger operating profits and higher compensation levels tied to performance-based pay.“Samsung Electronics is a company where performance bonuses have a greater impact than fixed monthly salaries,” said Oh Il-seon, head of the Korea CXO Institute.“Annual compensation figures can shift significantly once bonuses are reflected,” he added.