Taiwan’s average monthly regular wage in September rose for the 11th consecutive month, reflecting an improving domestic economy, the government’s latest statistics showed.
The average monthly regular wage in September was NT$36,324, up 0.04 percent from August and also up 1.48 percent from a year earlier, the Directorate General of Budget, -Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said on Monday.
The average monthly gross wage, which also includes -irregular payments, hit NT$43,106, up 6.67 percent from a month earlier and up 6.40 percent from a year ago, the agency said.
Irregular payments refer to one-time income, such as bonuses, and tend to fluctuate from month to month.
The average monthly regular and gross wage figures were based on a DGBAS survey of employees in the industrial and service sectors.
In the first nine months of the year, the average monthly regular wage stood at NT$36,175, up 1.96 percent from a year earlier, while the average monthly gross wage rose 6.44 percent year-on-year to NT$45,471, the DGBAS said.
After adjustments for inflation, the real average monthly gross wage for the nine-month period rose 5.48 percent from a year earlier, while the real average monthly regular wage grew 1.03 percent year-on-year, it added.
In September, the number of those who were employed in the industrial and service sectors -totaled 6.7 million, the highest in 21 months. The figure was 0.17 percent higher than in August and also up 3.73 percent from a year earlier, the DGBAS said.
In the first nine months, the number of those who worked in the industrial and service sectors rose 2.89 percent from a year earlier to 6.61 million, the DGBAS said.
Taiwan’s jobless rate fell to 4.92 percent last month, the first time it has fallen below 5 percent since November 2008.
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