TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor said Friday that airline pilots remained the country’s highest-paid profession, while insurance agents, funeral service workers, and beauty industry employees recorded some of the fastest wage growth.
According to the survey, airline pilots ranked first in both monthly and annual salaries, earning an average monthly wage of NT$298,000 (US$9,400) and an annual income of NT$3.93 million, per CNA. They were followed by actuaries, with monthly salaries of NT$203,000, and physicians, with monthly salaries of NT$180,000.
Professional athletes and maritime supervisors earned monthly salaries exceeding NT$100,000. Telecommunications engineers, lawyers, and securities traders and brokers all recorded annual salaries above NT$1.5 million.
Deputy Labor Minister Lee Chien-hung (李健鴻) said many factors influence wage levels, including job risk, specialized expertise, and whether positions are in short supply in the labor market, CNA reported. He noted that the survey showed little change in the top 10 highest-paying occupations over recent years.
The survey found that at companies employing more than 5,000 people, insurance sales agents, funeral service workers, travel consultants, and beauty industry workers all posted annual wage growth exceeding 7%. They were followed by aircraft maintenance personnel, security guards, pet groomers and animal caretakers, childcare workers and nannies, beverage preparers, and scooter delivery drivers.
Lee said that aside from aircraft maintenance personnel and insurance agents, most of these occupations remain relatively low-paying. He attributed strong wage growth largely to repeated minimum wage increases in recent years and rising hiring pay driven by labor shortages.
However, some industries saw declines in monthly wages. Jasmine Mei (梅家瑗), head of the ministry’s Department of Statistics, said real estate agents and securities traders and brokers recorded annual declines of 8.9% and 5.2%, per CNA.
Mei said that workers in these two sectors rely heavily on bonuses. Annual earnings for real estate agents and securities professionals still increased by 17.1% and 9.8% in 2024, respectively, due to bonus income.
The ministry conducts an annual occupational salary survey that covers the number of full-time employees in each profession, the regular monthly wages in July, and the average annual earnings per employee for the previous year. The 2025 survey results released Friday were based on 9,977 valid responses and covered wage data from 2024.
