CNA file photo

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) The average monthly wage in Taiwan for May surged 1.63 percent year-on-year to NT$38,656 (US$1,288), but 2.71 million employees still earned less than NT$30,000 in the month, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Thursday.

The average monthly wage was calculated based on the regular wages of 8.62 million people who were employed in the industrial and service sectors. Regular wages exclude overtime pay and bonuses.

Of the total number of employees surveyed, 5.90 million earned more than NT$30,000 in their monthly regular wage in May, up 2.86 percent year-on-year. And among these higher wage earners, 1.63 million earned more than NT$50,000, up 0.77 percent year-on-year, according to this year's statistics.

But 2.71 million employees, or 31.47 percent of the total number of wage earners surveyed, earned less than NT$30,000, down 2.86 percent from the same period last year.

The DGBAS compiled the annual statistics based on a manpower utilization survey which is conducted in May each year. It excluded seasonal factors including graduations and Chinese Lunar New Year holidays. 

(By Chen Cheng-wei and Evelyn Kao) 
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