President William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday announced that the government this year would again raise the minimum wage, with the goal of surpassing NT$30,000 (US$951) for monthly salaries.
The last minimum wage adjustment was made on Sept. 26 last year, and was announced on Oct. 21.
The adjustment took effect on Thursday last week. The minimum monthly salary increased from NT$28,590 to NT$29,500 (an increase of NT$910, or 3.18 percent), and the hourly wage rose from NT$190 to NT$196 (an increase of NT$6, or 3.16 percent).
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
Approximately 2.47 million workers benefited from the adjustment, with about 2.08 million of them being Taiwanese.
When attending an event hosted by the Junior Chamber International Taiwan in Hsinchu on Sunday, Lai said that this year the minimum wage would be raised again, with the monthly salary target set to exceed NT$30,000.
Increasing the minimum wage is an important measure to ensure the livelihood of workers, he said.
When evaluating the minimum wage, the government takes into account factors such as the consumer price index, the GDP growth rate and labor productivity, he added.
Lai also announced that the Executive Yuan has proposed a special budget of NT$93 billion to help small and medium-sized enterprises respond to international economic and trade changes.
A single enterprise can apply for up to NT$60 million in loans, with low-interest subsidies provided to stabilize employment, he said.
The government would also promote “AI New Ten Major Projects,” with the goal of training 500,000 artificial intelligence professionals by 2040, helping 1 million small and medium-sized enterprises complete their digital transformation, Lai said.
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