As a result of declining birth rates, fewer young Taiwanese 15-29 are employed, while employees in other age ranges are on the rise.
A sluggish economy and inflation lowered monthly wages 0.19% year-on-year, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics reported.
Average regular wage increased 2.3% year-on-year in January 2023, despite inflation raising the consumer price index.
Taiwan’s female labour force participation trails behind countries like Japan and South Korea, partly due to negative public perception of part-time jobs.
A survey by the Ministry of Labour found that more employees are having to spend more of their leisure time to address work-related issues.
In addition to raising the minimum wage floor, premiums for Labour Insurance and National Health Insurance have also been revised.
A survey in Taiwan cited a weaker economic growth and employment outlook next year as the reasons for the downbeat sentiment.
The wage subsidies are available to local businesses experiencing revenue decline of 10% or more due to the pandemic.
The inflation-adjusted remuneration of employees in Taiwan fell in September, despite an increase in salaries over the same period of the previous year.
Taking effect from January 1 next year, the monthly minimum wage will be raised to NT$26,400 (US$855) and the basic hourly rate to NT$176 (US$5.7).
Many SMEs earn relatively low profits and would pass on the impact from a wage hike to their customers by raising product prices.
A larger increase might prompt companies to pass additional costs onto consumers, thus driving up prices.
Unions can apply for subsidies to train workers in artificial intelligence (AI) to prepare the workforce for disruptions brought by a changing labour market.
About 44.8% of companies are considering raising wages in the second half of the year to retain their best employees.
In response, several business groups have urged the government to come up with appropriate support measures for firms that require financial assistance.
Taiwan's government has been urged to provide subsidies for parents who miss work due to caregiving responsibilities.
Wages rose in many sectors as revenue grew amid a stable global economy, said the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).
The demand for workers is expected to grow by 87,000 between late April and late July, the highest estimated growth for the same period since 2012.
Employers have been urged to encourage their employees to quit smoking after it was listed as a risk factor for COVID-19 complications.
Faced with barriers of entry, women who want a return to work after giving birth often took a long time before they secured a new job.
Presently, only civil servants are entitled to paid leave when they take off days to care for their families, and not private sector workers.
Although work satisfaction increased to 72.5% last year, 13.5% of workers reported that they did not get extra pay for working overtime.
The pay gap between the hourly wage of male workers and that of female ones averaged NT$57 or 15.8% last year, according to the Ministry of Labour.
In recent weeks, the number of furloughed workers in Taiwan has hovered around 10,000, which indicates a stable trend, said an official.
The unemployment rate fell by 0.02 percentage points from November to 3.64% in December, as the country continues to recover from the pandemic.
The Ministry of Labour (MOL) has increased paid parental leave and implemented other family-friendly policies with immediate effect.
The amended law also allows spouses of pregnant women to take up to seven days of paid leave to attend prenatal appointments with their wives.
77.8% of salaried workers are in favour of the 52-hour workweek, a policy launched in 2018 to reduce long working hours.
The Executive Yuan has approved the raising of the minimum monthly wage to NT$25,250 (US$913) and the minimum hourly wage to NT$168 (US$6).
The number of first-time jobseekers and workers who quit their jobs fell by 4,000 over the same period, as Taiwan's economy continues to recover.
