Reported 12 months ago
According to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), the median annual salary of Taiwan's 8.17 million workers is 518,000 yuan, with half of the labor force earning 40,000 per month. However, after adjusting for inflation, this figure has shown a negative growth trend for three consecutive years. Even though the number of people earning less than 30,000 per month has decreased compared to a decade ago, it still stands at a high 1.49 million. Nationalist Party legislator Lai Shih-Pao expressed concern over the significant disparity between the top 10% and the bottom 10% of earners, which has widened by 4.12 times, reaching a record high annually. This growing imbalance in income distribution reflects the harsh reality of Taiwan's society, with the wealthiest neighborhoods reporting average annual incomes of up to 4.61 million, predominantly concentrated in technology hubs like Hsinchu City and County. While the booming tech industry offers high salaries and bonuses, it does not translate to overall societal prosperity or ensure a comfortable life for the majority. Lai criticized the government for its limited success in addressing low wages and the alarming increase in wealth inequality. The latest official data shows that the wealthiest 20% of households in Taiwan hold 62.68% of the nation's total wealth, while the poorest 20% possess a mere 0.94%. This 66.9-fold wealth gap marks a significant increase from 30 years ago when it was 16.8 times. These figures highlight the widening income disparity and the worsening sense of deprivation felt by lower-income groups, contributing to issues like declining birth rates and marriage rates among young people. Despite the Tsai administration's promises to tackle long-standing low-wage issues, subsequent policies under the Lai Ching-Te-led government have focused more on political infighting than addressing public welfare or resolving grievances, leading to disappointment among the populace. (Original Article: 蘋果新聞網)
Source: YAHOO