Taiwan's Average Monthly Pay Reaches NT$49,152, but Nearly 70% Earn Less

Pay rises, but the typical worker earns considerably less

Taiwan's average regular monthly earnings reached NT$49,152 in the first nine months of the year, up 2.93% from a year earlier, according to figures released on November 11 by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). Yet 69.97% of employees earned below that average, the highest share recorded for the January to September period.

The median regular monthly wage was NT$39,429, leaving a gap of NT$9,723 between the middle of the wage distribution and the average. Put simply, the average was almost NT$10,000 above the amount that divided employees into two equal groups, with half earning more and half earning less.

Workers still gained some purchasing power. Average regular earnings increased 0.98% after inflation, while total earnings, including bonuses and overtime, rose 2.60% in real terms. Those were the second strongest increase for the period in six years and the strongest in 11 years, respectively.

The figures describe a labour market in which pay is rising, technology factories are working substantial overtime, and employers are increasing compensation to keep staff. They also show why a national average can feel far removed from an ordinary household's monthly income.

Taiwanese employees working full time had a different wage profile from the broader workforce, which also includes migrant employees and people working part time. Their median regular monthly earnings reached NT$41,120, up 3.36%, while their average reached NT$52,100, up 3.21%. Keeping those groups separate helps explain both the progress in wages and the large share of employees below the headline figure.

What the average and median actually measure

DGBAS uses regular earnings to describe recurring pay, rather than the larger amount employees may receive when bonuses, overtime and other irregular payments are included. For someone planning rent, food and transport spending, regular earnings are generally the more predictable part of a pay packet.

An average is calculated by adding everyone's earnings and dividing by the number of employees. A small group with very high salaries can pull that number upward. The median is the middle value when employees are arranged by earnings, so exceptionally large salaries have less influence on it.

The January to September median of NT$39,429 was about 80.2% of the NT$49,152 average. Its annual increase of 3.04% was slightly faster than the average's 2.93% rise. After inflation, the median increased 1.08%, indicating that the employee at the middle of the distribution also gained purchasing power.

September's figures were slightly higher than the averages covering the first nine months. Regular monthly earnings averaged NT$49,477, up 2.81% from a year earlier, while the median reached NT$39,793, up 2.93%. September total monthly earnings, including irregular payments, averaged NT$60,297, an increase of 4.83%.

Inflation takes much of the increase

Taiwan's consumer price index rose 1.94% during January to September. That increase absorbed much of the 2.93% rise in average regular pay, leaving the inflation adjusted gain of 0.98%.

Real wage growth measures how earnings change after accounting for prices. If pay rises but groceries, transport and other purchases also become more expensive, the improvement in what a household can buy is smaller than the increase printed on its payslip.

The previous comparable period recorded stronger nominal regular wage growth of 3% and stronger real growth of 1.21%. The latest increase in average regular pay was therefore the second highest for the period in 26 years, rather than a new record. Purchasing power continued to improve, but at a slower pace.

Total earnings followed a stronger course. Their nominal increase of 4.59% was the largest for January to September in 16 years, while the real increase of 2.60% was the strongest since 2015, when it reached 3.56%. Bonuses and overtime helped total compensation grow faster than recurring pay.

Why seven in ten employees fall below the average

DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling attributed the long term rise in the share earning below average partly to higher salaries at the top pulling the average upward. The share has increased each year since 2020.

Changes in the workforce also matter. Migrant workers and employees working part time have grown in number faster than Taiwanese employees working full time, according to Tan. Because those groups generally receive lower monthly earnings, their growing presence changes the distribution measured by the survey.

The latest 69.97% share was slightly below the 70.03% recorded in the first half of the year, a decline of just 0.06 percentage points. It nevertheless remained a record for the first nine months.

Tan linked the small decline partly to summer workers and recent graduates entering employment. Their relatively low starting earnings slowed growth in the average. Because the average itself is the threshold used in this calculation, changes in who joins the workforce can move the share below it even when the new workers earn relatively little.

The result is a moving comparison: employees' pay changes, the mix of employees changes, and the average against which everyone is measured changes too. The median and figures for specific groups therefore provide useful detail alongside the headline average.

Taiwanese employees working full time see stronger gains

Taiwanese employees working full time recorded their fastest increase in median regular earnings since that statistical series began in 2020. Their NT$41,120 median was NT$1,691 above the median for all employees.

Their average regular earnings of NT$52,100 increased at the fastest pace for the period since 2018. Total earnings for this group rose 4.54%, also the strongest increase since 2018. After inflation, the 3.36% increase in their median regular earnings amounted to a gain of about 1.40%.

Tan attributed wage gains to annual increases in the minimum wage and employers raising compensation to retain staff. Compared with the same period in 2020, median regular earnings for Taiwanese employees working full time were 15.48% higher, while average regular earnings were 17.51% higher.

The longer comparison shows the average growing faster than the median. More recently, however, the median's annual increase of 3.36% exceeded the average's 3.21%. DGBAS also said the share of Taiwanese employees working full time who earned below their group's average had fallen for two consecutive years, alongside wage growth in technology industries.

AI demand brings record September overtime

Taiwan's technology factories supplied another important part of the wage story. Strong demand for hardware used in artificial intelligence supported production and increased overtime payments.

Tan, the deputy director responsible for the figures at the DGBAS Census Department, connected the employment picture to the global expansion of AI systems.

"The latest figures suggest a stable job market that has benefited from global AI deployment," Tan said.

Manufacturing employees worked an average of 17.9 overtime hours in September, 1.1 hours more than a year earlier and the highest September figure since records began in 1979. Electronic components workers averaged 28.3 hours, up 0.4 hours and the highest September level in 47 years.

Employees making computers, electronic products and optical products averaged 17.5 overtime hours, an annual increase of 1.1 hours and the highest September figure in 23 years. For those employees, part of the rise in earnings came through additional working time.

The differences between industries were substantial. Total earnings increased 7.30% in manufacturing during the first nine months, including an 11.35% rise in electronic components manufacturing. Finance and insurance recorded a 6.27% increase, while property businesses, accommodation and food services, and other services each recorded growth below 2%.

Industry medians show where wages stand

The industry breakdown accompanying the NT$41,120 median for Taiwanese employees working full time placed finance and insurance at the top, with median regular monthly earnings of NT$59,900, up 4.26%.

Professional, scientific and technical services recorded a median of NT$45,308, up 0.71%. Wholesale and retail trade reached NT$40,833, up 3.63%, while manufacturing reached NT$40,597, an increase of 3.07%.

Accommodation and food services had median monthly earnings of NT$35,852, while other services recorded NT$30,911. The finance and insurance median was NT$28,989 higher than the other services median, or roughly 1.94 times as much.

Some sectors with lower wage levels nevertheless recorded relatively strong increases. Median earnings rose 4.54% in support services and 3.65% in accommodation and food services. In accommodation and food services, support services, and other services, median earnings grew faster than average earnings, showing relatively stronger gains around the middle of those wage distributions.

Finance and insurance, along with professional, scientific and technical services, showed the reverse pattern: average earnings grew faster than the median. Employees in different industries therefore experienced both different pay levels and different distributions of wage growth.

How the figures developed over time

The wage statistics combine comparisons covering several periods. The main sequence is:

• 2020: The starting point for the comparison showing a 15.48% rise in median regular earnings and a 17.51% rise in average regular earnings among Taiwanese employees working full time.
• The previous January to September period: Average regular earnings were NT$47,751, the median was NT$38,264, and 69.77% of employees earned below average.
• The latest January to June period: The share earning below average reached 70.03%.
• The latest January to September period: Average regular earnings reached NT$49,152, the median reached NT$39,429, and the share below average eased to 69.97%.
• September: Average regular monthly earnings reached NT$49,477 and the median reached NT$39,793.
• November 11: DGBAS released the September statistics and the results covering the first nine months.

Compared with the previous January to September period, the average increased by NT$1,401 and the median by NT$1,165. The share earning below average rose by 0.20 percentage points, despite its small decline from the latest first half figure.

What the survey covers and what needs clarification

DGBAS measures employees in industrial and service businesses. The survey excludes agriculture, forestry, fishing and animal husbandry, as well as government agencies, schools, and religious or occupational groups. Its wage figures describe the employees within that coverage.

The published accounts also contain an unresolved discrepancy in total earnings amounts. Average monthly total earnings for January to September were given as NT$60,498, up 4.59%, while a cumulative amount attributed to DGBAS was given as NT$609,498 with the same growth rate. Nine months at NT$60,498 would equal NT$544,482, so the cumulative amount needs clarification.

The central picture is consistent across the recurring wage figures: regular pay rose faster than prices, median earnings improved, and total compensation grew more quickly as bonuses and overtime contributed. For employees, the practical difference lies in how much of that increase arrives as dependable monthly pay and how much depends on extra hours or irregular payments.

Key Points

• Average regular monthly earnings reached NT$49,152 during January to September, up 2.93%.
• The median was NT$39,429, leaving a NT$9,723 gap below the average.
• Nearly seven in ten employees, or 69.97%, earned below the average.
• After inflation, average regular earnings rose 0.98% and total earnings rose 2.60%.
• Taiwanese employees working full time had median regular monthly earnings of NT$41,120, up 3.36%.
• Manufacturing overtime reached a September record, with electronic components employees averaging 28.3 extra hours.
• Minimum wage increases, employer pay adjustments and technology production supported wage gains, while industry and workforce differences shaped who benefited.