Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has increased employee bonuses by more than 50 per cent in the first half of 2026, as strong demand for advanced chips helped the company deliver record financial results.
The chipmaker paid NT$36 billion (US$1.14 billion) in bonuses to employees for the April-June quarter. The payout was more than 50 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year.
For the first six months of 2026, TSMC’s total employee bonuses reached NT$70.35 billion. This represents a 54.3 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier.
The higher payouts came as the company recorded significant growth in profitability. TSMC reported net profit of NT$706.56 billion for the second quarter, marking a 77.4 per cent increase year-on-year and a 23.4 per cent rise from the previous quarter.
For the first half of the year, net profit stood at NT$1.28 trillion, up 68.3% from a year earlier. Earnings per share also increased to NT$49.32 from NT$29.30 during the same period last year.
TSMC attributed the strong performance to sustained global demand for high-performance computing, Internet of Things applications and consumer electronics.
Despite the sharp rise in profits, employee bonus growth remained below the increase in net income. The company has been allocating a larger share of its profits towards social sustainability initiatives and other efforts to contribute to Taiwan.
TSMC’s employee bonus structure involves quarterly payments, with half of the bonus distributed during the relevant quarter. The remaining portion is paid after the following year’s annual shareholders’ meeting.
The latest payout marks a stronger increase than the roughly 30 per cent growth in employee bonuses recorded by the company last year, reflecting the continued strength of the semiconductor business.
