About 23% of Taiwanese workers are expected to be subject to the minimum wage, the Chinese Times and other Taiwanese media reported on the 6th, citing sources.
Citing the latest data from the Ministry of Labor, the source estimated that among 9.38 million employees this year, 2.23,800 will be eligible for the minimum wage next year.
In 2017, about 18% of the 8,926,000 employees received the minimum wage, he said.
Another official explained that the proportion of minimum wage workers in Taiwan continues to increase, meaning that it is difficult to solve Taiwan’s low-wage problem with the minimum wage.
In response to this phenomenon, a labor official pointed out that when the minimum wage adjustment is completed, the total wage will not rise, but more workers will receive wages close to the minimum wage.
He then stressed that if companies lean on the minimum wage, industries with insufficient employees may suffer from job difficulties, and that they should be adjusted according to the actual situation.
An official from Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor predicted that as the minimum wage rises every year, the number of workers who benefit from the minimum wage will certainly increase.
The minimum wage in 2017 was NT$21, 000 per month and NT$133 per hour. In 2024, NT$27,470 and NT$183 were applied, respectively.
From January 1, 2025, it will increase to NT$28,590 and NT$190.
Taiwan’s minimum wage law was promulgated on December 27 last year and took effect on January 1 this year.
In early September, Taiwan’s Labor Ministry held a minimum wage council meeting with representatives from four sectors: workers, employers, government and academia to confirm the minimum wage for 2025.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
