The number of employees hired by the industrial and service sectors in March edged up 0.03 percent, or by 4,000 people, to 8.17 million, while inflation continued to erode wage gains, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.
Hiring activity picked up among construction firms, as well as science, technology and healthcare service providers, more than offsetting headcount reductions at local manufacturers, the statistics agency said.
“The manufacturing industry has borne the brunt of an ongoing global economic slowdown” induced by inflation and monetary tightening, Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said.
Photo: CNA
Unfavorable economic factors explained why local manufacturers let go of 3,000 staffers in March, as opposed to adding 1,000 to 5,000 workers over the same period in the past five years, Chen said.
The manufacturing industry has reduced its payroll for eight months and lowered overtime hours for nine months, he said, adding that inventory adjustments have expanded from suppliers of flat panels and personal computers to chips, the backbone of Taiwan’s exports.
The accession rate — the number of new employees added to payrolls — declined by 0.4 percentage points to 2.28 percent, while the exit rate slid 0.3 percentage points to 2.25 percent, the DGBAS report showed.
Economic weakness also slowed the pace of wage gains. Average take-home pay grew 2.4 percent year-on-year to NT$45,432 (US$1,478) in March, while total wages rose 1.42 percent to NT$52,066 after adding performance-based commissions, overtime working hours and bonuses, the DGBAS said.
In the first quarter, take-home pay rose 2.41 percent annually to NT$45,286 and total wages grew 2.36 percent to NT$64,796, the agency said.
The data suggested respective declines of 0.19 percent and 0.23 percent, the steepest retreat in seven years, after adjusting for inflation of 2.6 percent from the same period a year earlier, Chen said.
Things should improve once inflation eases within the 2 percent target, she said.
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