The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 4.69 percent last month, from 5.71 percent a year ago, as local firms recruited more staff to meet increasing demand amid the global economic recovery, the -Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.
On a monthly basis, the -jobless rate rose to 4.69 percent last month, from 4.64 percent in January, as more part-time jobs offered during the Lunar New Year holidays ended, DGBAS said.
Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate stood at 4.59 percent last month, a more reliable indicator of the long-term trend, sliding from 4.71 percent in January. The rate has fallen for 18 consecutive months, the statistics showed.
“The number of unemployed people increased slightly last month, as demand for part-time workers before the Lunar New Year fell after the holiday,” DGBAS senior executive officer Chen Min (陳憫) told a media briefing.
Last month, the number of unemployed workers rose by 5,000 to 522,000, with the number of temporary and part-time positions being finished increasing by 7,000, the report said.
More workers also left their positions and looked for new jobs after receiving their bonuses for the Lunar New Year holiday, driving up last month’s jobless rate, Chen added.
However, the jobless rate could fall again this month, as history has shown the number of unemployed workers decreases with more people getting new jobs a month after the Lunar New Year holiday, Chen said.
Henry Ho (何啟聖), a public relations director at Job Bank 1111, also remained optimistic that the rate would decrease this month, because historical data showed that the demand for new workers from most firms typically climb after the Lunar New Year.
DGBAS yesterday also unveiled its latest data on salaries, another lagging economic gauge, with workers earning an average of NT$36,728 per month in January, up 1.32 percent from a year earlier, the 15th consecutive month of expansion.
Adding in year-end and other bonuses, the average salary rose to NT$82,456 for January, up 53.23 percent from the previous year, the data showed.
“Although most firms increased their employees’ bonuses, we have not seen an overall pay raise for companies,” Chen said.
Donna Kwok (郭浩庄), economist of Greater China economics research for HSBC in Asia, yesterday said in a research note that Taiwan’s income levels have yet to see a similar lift against the 18 consecutive months of decline in its unemployment rate after seasonal adjustment.
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