Taiwan’s wage growth remained resilient in November last year, supported by bonuses and rising pay in industries tied to the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom, even as overtime hours and labor turnover softened toward year-end.
The average regular monthly wage rose 3.08 percent from a year earlier to NT$48,139, while total compensation — including bonuses and overtime pay — climbed a faster 4.69 percent to NT$58,103, highlighting steady income growth despite moderating labor demand, data released yesterday by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed.
The median regular wage, a closer gauge of what typical workers earn, increased 3.21 percent to NT$38,714, though it slipped 0.16 percent from October, as workloads and hiring eased, DGBAS’ data showed.
Photo: CNA
“Both regular and total pay have posted solid gains in recent months, with easing inflation helping to underpin overall wage performance,” DGBAS deputy census director Tan Wen-ling (譚文玲) said at a news conference in Taipei, adding that overtime played a very limited role in the uptrend.
Overtime hours, often viewed as a proxy for manufacturing momentum, averaged 8.9 hours in November, down 0.4 hours from the previous month and unchanged from a year earlier, signaling that factory activity has leveled off after a strong expansion earlier in the year, the agency said.
Pay gaps across industries remained pronounced. From January through November, average regular wage in accommodation and food services were NT$34,969, while other personal services such as beauty and repair averaged NT$36,680, underscoring persistent wage constraints in domestically focused sectors, DGBAS’ data showed.
Manufacturing workers earned NT$45,807 per month on average, though compensation rose, particularly in higher-tech segments. Employees in electronic components manufacturing — a key beneficiary of the AI boom — earned NT$57,070 a month, the data indicated.
At the upper end of the wage scale, professional, scientific and technical services averaged NT$58,334 per month, while workers in publishing, audiovisual and information and communications services earned NT$69,579, reflecting strong demand for digital and data-related skills.
Financial and insurance sector employees received the highest average pay at NT$70,840, reinforcing the wage premium in knowledge and capital-intensive industries.
Demographic gaps persisted. Over the first 11 months of last year, the median regular wage for women was NT$36,402, compared with NT$40,026 for men, though women posted faster annual growth of 3.33 percent, versus 2.93 percent for men. Younger workers under 30 earned a median NT$31,779, with wages rising to NT$43,176 for those aged 50 to 64 before easing to NT$38,196 for workers aged 65 and older, reflecting increasingly prevalent post-retirement re-employment, the data showed.
Education continued to deliver the strongest payoff. Median regular wage reached NT$40,547 for employees with junior college or university degrees, while postgraduate degree holders averaged NT$66,609, according to DGBAS.
Labor turnover eased further, with entry and exit rates falling to 2.03 percent and 1.93 percent respectively, pointing to a more stable — if less dynamic — labor market heading into year-end, the directorate said.
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