The average monthly take-home wage in February increased 2.62 percent year-on-year to NT$42,317, but some sectors began to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.
The statistics agency shrugged off concerns about the 8.67 percent retreat in total pay to NT$49,505 after factoring in overtime and performance-based compensation, saying that the Lunar New Year holiday, when year-end bonuses are distributed, fell in January this year, accounting for the change.
The impact of the virus outbreak began to emerge in February, with wages and working hours for employees in the transportation and hospitality sectors being reduced, DGBAS Senior Executive Officer Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said by telephone.
“The situation is bound to deteriorate this month and beyond as the outbreak lingers,” Chen said.
Take-home pay shrank 6.76 percent and 3.82 percent respectively for people driving tour buses and working for airline companies due to a sharp decline in demand, she said, adding that delaying the start of the new school semester also dampened the need for transportation services.
On average, workers in the transportation sector reported a decrease of NT$2,000 in their monthly wage, Chen said.
People working for private education facilities reported a 2.5 percent reduction in pay, the agency’s survey showed.
The number of people employed shrunk by 12,000 to 7,981,000, the DGBAS report said.
Working hours for tour bus operators dropped by 4.2 hours and 2.4 hours for staff at hotels and restaurants, Chen said.
The manufacturing industry remained resilient in February, with the take-home wage declining a fractional 0.07 percent month-on-month, the survey showed.
The construction sector bucked the trend with a 1.38 percent increase from a month earlier, thanks to more working days, it said.
Government agencies have sought to create budgets for infrastructure projects to help shore up the economy.
The year-on-year increase in take-home pay had a lot to do with February having more working days compared with last year, Chen said.
The Lunar New Year holiday fell in February last year.
In the first two months of this year, average monthly take-home wages rose 2.11 percent to NT$42,338, while overall compensation increased 0.12 percent to NT$74,313, the survey said.
Adjusted for inflation, real take-home wages increased 1.26 percent, while total pay declined 0.71 percent, it said.
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