Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體), the world’s biggest chip packager and tester, on Friday announced a 3 to 5 percent pay raise for workers at the company’s plants in Kaohsiung’s Nantze Export Processing Zone (楠梓加工出口區) and Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) this year, joining a slew of local companies in increasing employee payrolls.
ASE is to also give away an extra bonus of NT$10,000 to rank-and-file employees at its Kaohsiung headquarters, the company announced at its annual banquet, or weiya (尾牙) party, for employees.
The wage hikes came after ASE saw revenue increase 5.66 percent to NT$290.44 billion (US$9.87 billion) last year, compared with NT$274.88 billion in 2016.
Automotive components maker Hota Industrial Manufacturing Co (和大工業) also announced on Friday at its weiya party that employees are to get a pay increase of 5 percent, along with Lunar New Year bonuses equivalent to between three and three-and-a-half months of their salary.
Meanwhile, optical lens maker Kinko Optical Co (今國光) on Saturday said that it will increase employees’ pay by 3 percent, beginning from this month.
Food and beverage chain La Kaffa International Co (六角國際) on Wednesday said the company plans a 3 to 10 percent wage hike for employees this year, with year-end bonuses of up to 12 times their monthly salary after revenue jumped 19.25 percent to a record-high NT$2.498 billion last year.
The companies’ wage hikes are mostly in line with an average 4.09 percent increase in employee salaries by local firms, according to a survey released by manpower agency 104 Job Bank (104人力銀行) on Jan. 8. The average wage hikes marked the biggest jump in three years, the job bank said.
Speaking to employees at the weiya party, ASE chairman Jason Chang (張虔生) said he is grateful for their contributions to the company over the past year, and that is why ASE wants to show its gratitude to them.
The company has also decided to establish a kindergarten in Nantze, hoping it will improve the lives of its employees and their children, Chang said, adding that the idea has won backing from the Kaohsiung City Government.
The kindergarten is scheduled to begin construction later this year and become operational next year, he said.
ASE is also committed to increasing its investment in cutting-edge technologies this year to enhance its global competitiveness, Chang said, adding that the company is focusing on artificial intelligence, automotive electronics, Internet of Things and high-performance computing technologies.
The company hires about 17,000 employees, its annual report showed.
ASE and its rival Siliconware Precision Industries Co Ltd (SPIL, 矽品精密) are scheduled to hold their extraordinary general meeting on Feb. 12 to get shareholders’ approval for their merger and the establishment of a holding company, ASE Industrial Holding Co (日月光投資控股).
ASE has said it plans to expand its R&D and production facilities in Kaohsiung and keep its advanced assembly technology in Taiwan, as Chinese players are rapidly catching up.
Additional reporting by Kuo Chia-erh
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