Taipei-The average real regular wage fell during the first seven months of this year for the first time in six years, as inflation eroded wage growth, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Wednesday.
Data compiled by the DGBAS showed that before adjusting for inflation, nominal regular wages in the January-July period rose 3.1 percent from a year earlier to NT$44,286 (US$1,467), the largest growth since 2000.
However, those gains were eroded by a 3.17 percent increase in the consumer price index (CPI) over the same period, according to DGBAS data.
After the adjustments, the average real regular wage fell 0.07 percent from a year earlier to NT$41,416 during the seven month period, the data showed.
Nevertheless, the fall in the average real regular wage has started to narrow — 0.2 percent for January-May and 0.11 percent for January-June — said DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣).
“The purchasing power of wages is improving,” Chen added.
In addition, business activity in Taiwan showed signs of improving in July amid eased concerns over local COVID-19 cases and increasing manpower from school graduates, which pushed up wages as well as the number of people in employment.
At the end of July, the total number of employees in the industrial and service sectors increased by 36,000, or 0.45 percent from a month earlier to about 8.178 million, the DGBAS said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel