A Ministry of Labor survey on trends in employment and wages shows that skilled workers and technicians saw the sharpest increase in numbers over the past decade, while the monthly pay averaged NT$37,771 in July last year.
Conducted in July last year, the survey was compared with figures from July 2003 to assess changes in the nation’s employment and wage structure in the manufacturing and service industries. The poll excluded those who are self-employed and company owners.
The skilled workers category saw the largest increase, accounting for 10.57 percent of the workforce in July last year, compared with 8.45 percent in July 2003. It was followed by “technicians and assistant skilled workers,” which rose from 12.9 percent to 14.73 percent.
Workers in the sales and service sector category saw smaller increments, rising from 8.33 percent to 8.86 percent, and those working as executives and supervisors expanded from 14.39 percent to 14.64 percent.
Meanwhile, declines were seen in the combined categories of clerical and office support staff, machinery operators, assembly line workers and basic-level technical and labor workers, which dropped from 55.94 percent to 51.19 percent.
Meanwhile, monthly wages in the manufacturing and service industries averaged NT$37,771 in July last year.
Not surprisingly, workers in executive and supervisory positions had the highest average monthly wage at NT$62,610, which was 1.66 times the mean figure, the survey showed.
Workers in the service and sales category had the lowest average monthly wage at NT$24,153, which was 0.64 times the mean.
For newly hired workers, they had an average monthly wage of NT$25,175 in July last year, a slight increase of NT$139 from the same period in 2012, the survey showed.
The survey indicated that about half of the sectors adopt a five-day workweek, but close to 20 percent of the companies surveyed follow a six-day workweek. These were followed by 15.5 percent which had alternate Saturdays off.
Most companies, or 92.4 percent, have minimum working hours per week, with 44.8 percent adopting a 40-hour workweek, followed by 14.5 percent with a 48-hour workweek and 13.3 percent which had a 44-hour workweek, the survey showed.
Companies that have the lowest workweek at 40 hours are mainly those in the banking, financial and insurance industries (80.6 percent), followed by the information and telecommunications sector at 72.4 percent, and professional, scientific and technical service sector at 69.9 percent.
For the 48-hour workweek, the survey found the highest was in the arts, entertainment and leisure service sector at 39.4 percent, followed by the mining, rock and gravel quarrying sector at 36 percent and the hotel and restaurant sector at 33.3 percent.
The survey received 9,678 valid responses in August last year, the ministry said.
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