The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics revealed today (22nd) that the unemployment rate in March 2025 has risen to 3.35%, marking a consecutive increase for two months, but still remains the lowest level for the same month in 25 years. Regarding the impact of Trump’s tariffs, Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling stated that the rise in unemployment rate is not primarily due to the trade war. However, the reciprocity tariffs bring significant uncertainty, and the impact on the labor market is expected to gradually become apparent over time.

Statistics show that the unemployment rate for March is 3.35%, with a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.36%, both increasing by 0.01 percentage points from February. Tan mentioned that the rise in unemployment rate in March is attributed to a continuous trend of job switching, as the number of unemployed due to dissatisfaction with their original jobs increased by 3,000.

Despite Trump's announcement of the reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which includes a 90-day grace period, there is widespread expectation that this will significantly impact the economic performance of Taiwan this year. When asked how to assess the impact of the reciprocal tariffs on Taiwan's labor market, Tan explained that the March data shows a stable labor market, and any impact from the tariffs is expected to gradually emerge after June. She further pointed out that following the announcement of the tariffs and the subsequent delay, the level of uncertainty is extremely high, making future developments increasingly difficult to predict.

Additionally, while surveying the unemployment rate, the Directorate-General also investigates the reasons for unemployment, focusing on changes in the number of unemployed due to "business contractions or closures" as a key observation point. Tan indicated that under normal circumstances, the unemployment rate would typically decrease in April as job switchers find new employment, but the situation of reciprocal tariffs remains a major variable that will require close monitoring of future labor indicators.