The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DGBAS) released today (11th) the salary and working hours statistics for all employed workers for April 114, revealing that the average regular salary is NT$47,807 (excluding year-end bonuses and overtime pay), reflecting an annual increase of 3.22%, the highest for the same period since 1990.

For the first four months, the real regular salary increased by 0.90% year-on-year, marking the first positive growth in four years. The total average salary grew by 3%, indicating that salary growth is keeping pace with inflation pressures.

In April, the median regular salary was NT$38,208, indicating that most people's salaries remain below the average. After excluding price factors, the real average regular salary for April stands at NT$43,727, with a year-on-year increase of 1.16%, the largest increase in five years, marking 13 consecutive months where salary growth has exceeded inflation.

High-paying sectors from January to April include the financial and insurance industry (NT$71,260) and the publishing, audio-visual, and information communications industry (NT$69,200), while the accommodation and food service industry, as well as other service sectors, remain below the median salary.

Manufacturing, due to significant year-end and performance bonuses, recorded an annual salary growth rate of 4.53%, with the electronic components manufacturing sector showing a 5.86% increase.

In April, the average overtime hours in manufacturing reached 17.8 hours, a near eight-and-a-half-year high, with the electronic components manufacturing sector even higher at 27.9 hours, marking the highest record since 1980. Overtime pay also rose, averaging NT$2,423, representing a 5.85% increase year-on-year, also the highest for that month historically.

The DGBAS noted that the number of employees continues to recover, with the total number of employed workers in Taiwan reaching 8.492 million by the end of April, an increase of 2,000 from the previous month and 70,000 year-on-year, concentrated mainly in manufacturing and support services.

The service sector saw a year-on-year growth rate of 1.16% from January to April, leading the industrial sector's 0.22%. Last year, 33.9% of businesses raised regular salaries, the highest in 24 years.