Taiwan’s Labor Ministry is set to hold a minimum wage review committee meeting next Wednesday. Analysts predict a potential increase of over 4%, pushing the monthly minimum wage up to NT$28,000 (US$876) and the hourly rate to NT$190 (US$5.95). While this marks the ninth consecutive year of minimum wage hikes in Taiwan, many citizens report little impact from these raises, and some believe the changes primarily benefit migrant workers.
The current minimum wage stands at NT$27,470 (US$860) monthly and NT$183 (US$5.73) hourly. The Labor Ministry estimates that nearly 2.4 million workers will benefit from the upcoming increase. Contrary to popular belief, most of those affected are domestic Taiwanese workers, not foreign laborers. The 520,000 migrant workers in Taiwan who are subject to minimum wage laws represent only a fraction of the total beneficiaries.
Some business groups have supported decoupling local and foreign worker wages. However, the Director of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU) Tai Kuo-jung (戴國榮) argues that maintaining wage parity is crucial for attracting migrant workers to Taiwan, especially given competition from other Asian economies.
Tai emphasizes his belief that small and medium-sized enterprises will be willing to hire more employees and raise wages for workers in the future. He stresses the importance of the government vigorously promoting such changes, saying that not only will the shortage of workers be alleviated, but the overall salary in Taiwan can also be increased.