The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) has released the data on real monthly wages and growth of real total earnings for the first half of this year. The results indicate that salary growth has exceeded consumer goods inflation. However, most citizens believe the figure does not reflect the true average salary. When the statistics for July are released on September 12, the Directorate will simultaneously announce the median salary, which might better correspond to public opinion.
The average monthly regular wage of all employed persons in June was NT$46,486 (US$1,433), an annual increase of 3%. The average monthly total earnings was NT$55,447 (US$1,700), an annual increase of 3.17%. Deducting price increases from January to June, the real monthly wages, or wages adjusted for inflation, was NT$43,158 (US$1,330), an annual increase of 0.28%, and the real total earnings was NT$59,830 (US$1,843), an annual increase of 1.43%.
Although these numbers are the best in three years, most citizens believe the discrepancy between the reported numbers and their own salary is too large. The Directorate emphasized that this data mainly shows changes in salary in the job market, and that individual salary varies based on occupation, education, and working experience. In an effort to issue more relevant data, the Directorate announced that when the latest salary statistics for the month of July are released on September 12, the median salary will also be posted.