TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The average real monthly earnings for Taiwanese workers rose slightly last year thanks to deflation, while the country's total employment number fell for the first time since 2009.

According to the Cabinet-level Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Taiwan's labor market reported a mixed performance in 2020, largely due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

An average 7.95 million people were employed in the industrial and service sectors during 2020, down 0.15 percent from 2019. Despite signs of recovery in the employment number after June, the workforce has yet to rebound to the level seen prior to the global outbreak.

The average regular monthly salary in Taiwan was NT$42,498 (US$1,522) in 2020, up 1.47 percent from a year earlier. Average monthly earnings, which cover regular salary and irregular income such as overtime pay and bonuses, were NT$54,320.

Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣), deputy director of the DGBAS census department, said during a press conference Friday (Feb. 19) that growth rates were the lowest in both categories in four years. However, there are many higher-paying occupations in the financial, shipping, telecommunications, and electricity and gas supply sectors, she said.

DGBAS data also showed the real monthly salary (nominal wage divided by general price level) for Taiwanese workers had increased 1.7 percent to NT$41,538 after being adjusted for inflation. The figure is the highest in nearly two decades, beating the previous record of NT$40,992 in 2003.

Chen said a 0.23 percent fall in the consumer price index (CPI) last year had contributed to the increase in real average pay. Although employees did not see a large increase in earnings, they likely found themselves able to afford more goods and services, she explained.