《TAIPEI TIMES》 Ministry to raise minimum wage by 5％ next year

SIX RAISES IN A ROW: With the COVID-19 pandemic largely under control in the nation, the government is focusing on boosting the economy, Tsai Ing-wen said

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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Taiwan’s minimum wage is to be raised by 5 percent, effective Jan. 1, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.

The directive would increase the minimum monthly wage from NT$24,000 to NT$25,250 and the minimum hourly wage from NT$160 to NT$168, the ministry’s Minimum Wage Review Committee said.

The increases are pending approval by the Cabinet, which has in most cases in the past followed the committee’s recommendation.

The increases came close to wage hikes urged by labor groups, which called for 6 to 8 percent.

One business group had urged that the minimum wage should not be increased by more than 3 percent.

The Chinese National Federation of Industries, which represents 159 business associations in Taiwan, on Thursday issued a statement saying that mandatory increases would affect small and medium-sized businesses that have not yet recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun （許銘春） at the time said that once the minimum wage increase is confirmed, the government would draft plans to provide subsides to companies affected by the pandemic, without elaborating on the details.

President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） yesterday wrote on Facebook that next year’s increase would be the sixth consecutive minimum wage increase since she took office in 2016.

The government has implemented measures to help industries affected by COVID-19 adapt their employees’ wages accordingly, she said.

With the pandemic largely under control in Taiwan, “we will next focus our efforts on revitalizing the economy,” she said.

The Minimum Wage Review Committee comprises government officials responsible for labor and economic affairs, and representatives of unions and the private sector, as well as academics.

It is legally required to hold a minimum wage review meeting in the third quarter of every year.

Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES