Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/13/2020
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's workers saw their total earnings adjusted for inflation rise in the first 11 months of 2019 from a year earlier despite real wages remaining at a level seen in 2003, according to figures from Taiwan's statistics bureau.

Real average monthly earnings, which include regular wages plus bonuses, overtime pay and other irregular income not issued on a monthly basis, totaled NT$52,275 in the first 11 months of 2019, up 1.49 year-on-year, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Monday.

Real average wages, which only cover base salary and other regular forms of pay such as monthly subsidies for transportation and other expenses, totaled NT$40,793 in the January to November period, up 1.70 percent from a year earlier, the DGBAS figures showed.

Though real wages were slightly below the NT$40,885 level seen for the same period in 2003, real earnings were about 5.5 percent higher than the 2003 level, indicating that long-term wage gains are coming mainly from gains in bonuses and other irregular income.    [FULL  STORY]