The average regular monthly wage in August grew 2.98 percent from a year earlier to NT$44,497 (US$1,398), but the average in the first eight months of the year slid 0.02 percent after adjusting for inflation, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.
The real wage is unlikely to swing to positive territory in the short term as year-to-date inflationary readings remain above the 3 percent level, DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said.
“Fortunately, the negative value is steadily shrinking — from 0.1 percent in June to 0.02 percent this time around,” Chen said.
Photo: CNA
The economic scene worsened last month given disappointing trade numbers due to stubborn inflation and drastic interest rate hikes by global central banks, she said.
Total monthly wages — including overtime pay, performance-based commissions, perks and bonuses — jumped 7.25 percent to NT$56,108, the statistics agency said, attributing the impressive year-on-year gain to the distribution of dividends and bonuses by some local firms.
However, the overall monthly pay retreated 3.68 percent from July, suggesting that wages might have peaked, it said.
Workers in the electricity and gas supply companies enjoyed the highest monthly wage of NT$65,021, followed by employees at financial and insurance companies at NT$64,427, and peers at publishing and media companies at NT$64,183, the agency said.
In terms of overall monthly compensation, workers at electricity and gas suppliers again topped the rankings with NT$114,427, followed by electronics workers with NT$109,935, and financial and insurance staff with NT$85,332, it said.
The number of workers in the industrial and service sectors inched up 0.14 percent to 8.19 million, the statistics agency said.
That suggested an addition of 11,000 people to payrolls, as hotels and restaurants hired 5,000 more workers, while healthcare and social services facilities raised headcounts by 3,000, it said.
The employment data have returned to the state before COVID-19 infections spiked in April, as people are less afraid of the virus and authorities ease COVID-19 controls, Chen said.
The accession rate — the number of new employees added to payrolls — dropped 0.3 percentage points to 2.79 percent, compared with one month and a year earlier, the DGBAS found.
The exit rate gained a fractional 0.03 percentage points to 2.65 percent, with the seasonal entry of new graduates accounting for the fluctuation, Chen said.
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