Salaries for college graduates and those possessing higher degrees have shown a trend toward polarization, with the ratio of those falling into the highest and lowest 20 percent income brackets both increasing, said the latest survey released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) on Monday.
falling
DGBAS officials said that the ratio of college graduates whose monthly income falls in the lowest 20 percent bracket had increased to 18.14 percent this year, up from 11.92 percent in 2002, while the ratio of those in that income bracket who may have completed only junior high school fell to 41.39 percent from 51.96 percent.
But among those in the highest 20 percent income bracket, the ratio of those who were college graduates or above also increased to 60.77 percent this year, up from 55.91 percent in 2002, while the ratio of those who might have only completed junior high school fell to 13.76 percent from 17.39 percent.
The survey also found that in May, those who worked less than 35 hours a week and wished to increase their working hours accounted for 2.1 percent of all employees.
more hours
Broken down by trade, 9.61 percent of workers in the manufacturing sector wanted to work more hours, followed by those in agriculture at 3.52 percent.
At the other end of the spectrum, only 0.11 percent of employees in the water-supply and pollution-control, information and communications, financial and insurance sectors wanted to work more.
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