Labor ministry says consensus reached on basic wage hike

Labor ministry says consensus reached on basic wage hike

2023-08-17

The labor ministry signals that it will raise the minimum wage next year, to shield consumers from inflation. The decision will be formally announced next month, when the ministry’s wage review committee convenes. But according to labor minister Hsu Ming-chun, there’s already a consensus to raise wages. When asked for comment, industry group leader Paul Hsu said that a 3% increase would be acceptable given inflationary pressures. But he said that inflation concerns should be tempered by factors such as Taiwan’s economic slowdown. Let’s hear from him.

Voice of Paul Hsu
General Chamber of Commerce president
From this January to July, exports fell 17%, and imports also dropped 20%. Among the Four Asian Tigers, Taiwan has suffered the worst. Rising commodity prices, of course, are a very important factor when considering basic wage adjustments. But other factors to consider are slowing economic growth and furlough figures, which currently exceed 10,000. In particular, the manufacturing sector has been under considerable strain.

Huang Wei-chen
Ministry of Labor official
In the second quarter, the working group noted that domestic demand was good but external demand was affected by the global economic climate. The committee will have final discussions to assess the impact of these intertwined factors.

Based on the latest economic indicators, the upcoming wage adjustment should fall between 3% to 3.2%. This would take the monthly wage beyond NT$27,000. The hourly wage would rise to NT$182. If the wage hike is approved, it would be the Tsai administration’s eighth raise in seven years. So far, the government has increased the monthly wage by 32% and hourly rates by 47%.

勞動部長預告勞資雙方有共識調升明年基本工資

2023-08-17

高通膨物價壓力大，勞動部長許銘春預告，9月初召開基本工資審議委員會，各方已有共識調升明年基本工資。商總理事長許舒博表示，通膨壓力大，調漲3%可接受，期盼委員會除了考量物價，也要參考經濟表現。

[[聲源:商總理事長許舒博]]
“今年一到七月出口減少17%，進口也少了兩成，在亞洲四小龍裡面，台灣最重，物價上漲當然是考慮基本工資調漲很重要因素，但是另外可能要考慮經濟成長衰退，無薪假目前已經破萬，製造業受的衝擊會比較大”

[[勞動部條平司司長黃維琛]]
“第二季工作小組提到，內需順暢，外需有受國際環境影響，到底影響層面交錯下來如何考慮，委員會會來做最終討論”

若以最新經濟數據估算，基本薪資調幅將落在3%至3.2%，月薪可望突破27K、時薪182元。蔡政府7年任內，月薪漲幅32%、時薪漲幅更高達47%，若基本薪資調漲拍板定案，將是蔡政府上任以來第8度調升基本工資。

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Vice President Lai Ching-te touched down in San Francisco on Thursday at 7 a.m., Taiwan time. Upon landing, he was greeted by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger, who accompanied him to a banquet with Taiwanese Americans. The event was also attended by high-profile political figures, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and the mayor of Phoenix.

After departing Paraguay, Vice President Lai Ching-te stopped over in the U.S. once again. He landed in San Francisco at 7 a.m. Thursday, Taiwan time, and was welcomed by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger.

Rosenberger had not met Lai during his first transit due to attending her sister’s wedding. But this time around, she boarded Lai’s plane in a welcome on par with previous visits. Lai and Rosenberger then headed to a banquet with overseas Taiwanese. Along the way, they passed a group of protesters holding Chinese flags.

Although some protested the visit, many more were happy to see Lai.

Outside the venue, a crowd of people cheered for Lai. Inside, about 700 Taiwanese Americans eagerly waited for the VP to show up.

After stepping into the hall, Lai was quickly lost in the crowd, with participants rushing to embrace him.

Lai Ching-te
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I will do my utmost to use peace as my beacon and democracy as my compass to lead Taiwan forward.

Laura Rosenberger
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And our commitment to help Taiwan’s self-defense capacity is rock-solid, just as the Taiwan-U.S. friendship is unwavering.

At the banquet, two guests caught media attention. One was Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who visited Taiwan in July. Speaking at the event, she said she was delighted with TSMC’s US$40 billion investment in her city. The other guest was former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Janet Napolitano
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I love Taiwan, and we are proud to call you in Taiwan true friends and partners in this wonderful experiment that is free enterprise, freedom and democracy.

According to political analysts, Lai has used his trip to show he’s ready to lead. They say his welcome by U.S. officials is a sharp rebuke to claims he’s mistrusted by Washington.

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As Vice President Lai Ching-te wraps up his trip, a new rumor is getting traction online, concerning his time in Paraguay. A social media post claims that Lai agreed to spend more than NT$10 billion on social housing in Paraguay. The post alleges that during his Paraguay state visit, he signed a deal to build single-family villas. But the Presidential Office denies the claim, saying that Lai signed nothing during his visit. It says the rumor is part of a disinformation campaign meant to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

In a post on the PTT online forum, the title reads “Another NT$10 billion for Paraguay to build social housing.” The post claims that during Vice President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Paraguay, he signed an agreement with President Santiago Pena, pledging to invest US$320 million -- or about NT$10.1 billion -- to build social housing in Paraguay over the next five years. The post contains a photo of the supposed agreement, as well as images of the single-family “villas” that Taiwan would allegedly build in Paraguay. The forum user called on Lai to bring Paraguay’s housing justice to Taiwan. A DPP lawmaker and the Presidential Office have denounced the post as disinformation.

Liu Shih-fang
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In the supposed agreement, the Spanish text says that the total amount of cooperation funds is US$150 million, but the numerals say US$320 million. It’s sloppy work. The document was also signed in December 2023. As you all know, it’s only August now. So what are we looking at here? And the signatures are all forged.

Lin Yu-chan
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The fact is that during his state visit, Vice President Lai Ching-te did not sign any documents with the government of Paraguay. The pictures and signatures in the rumor were forged with the intention of spreading disinformation to confuse the people of Taiwan. It is clearly a deliberate attempt to attack the government. After a preliminary investigation, it has been determined that this is part of a systematic disinformation campaign carried out jointly by foreign and domestic actors to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

Jeff Liu
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The foreign ministry’s stance on disinformation is just like our stance on sexual harassment: zero tolerance. The ministry reported the incident to police immediately, and the Criminal Investigation Bureau has received all the relevant documents provided by the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry urged the public not to believe or share the post with others. It said that the key to fighting cognitive warfare was to enhance one’s own awareness and knowledge.

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The dining sector is in full expansion mode after three lean years due to the pandemic. To drive recruitment, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse hiked wages by 8% to 12% in March. It also rolled out flexible work schedules, with an eye on recruiting middle-aged and older workers. Wowprime Corporation is also hunting for staff, to fill 50 new locations. This month, it raised wages at its Chinese dining brands by as much as 12%.

A lobster bigger than your hand sizzles on a hot plate, releasing a mouthwatering aroma. This chain restaurant attracts diners with its tasty dishes. To attract employees, it’s raised salaries for the third time this year.

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We’ve reached our target of opening 50 new shops early, so we’re looking to fill 500 full-time vacancies. For that, we’ve decided to raise salaries for the third time this year. In the first half of the year, we were the teppanyaki restaurant brand with the largest salary increase. Altogether we’ve hiked salaries by almost 12%.

As of July, restaurant operations staff have started at NT$40,000 at Wowprime’s teppanyaki brand. Newcomers without experience have started at NT$36,000. This month, wages got an 8% boost at the group’s Chinese dining brands, with newcomers starting at NT$35,000.

Hot pot chain Jhu Jian is also expanding. It’s announced its fourth pay raise this year, and two annual revenue shares for supervisors. The company is hoping to fill 1,000 vacancies.

Back in March, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse raised salaries by 8% to 12%. It also introduced flexible work schedules for middle-aged and older employees.

At the start of August, Mala International Catering Group raised salaries by NT$2,000 to NT$5,000 a month. The hot pot chain aims to attract talented staff.

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We expect to expand to 50 outlets in Taiwan this year. So we have a labor shortage of about 20%, that is, between 300 and 400 employees. We welcome anyone from fresh graduates, people reentering the job market, and middle-aged and older applicants to join us.

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Underneath the overpass, taxis are bumper to bumper, as far as the eye can see. In many major cities of China, there are now far more cabs than customers.

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On the morning of Aug. 14 at Daxing International Airport, there were 150 taxis in line. I had to wait five hours before getting a journey. The trip was 48 kilometers and I earned 162 yuan. Then I picked up a 7.4 kilometer journey and made 26 yuan. I spent six hours on two rides and made 188 yuan.

With China’s unemployment rate surging, the jobless have turned to driving to survive. As of this June, China had granted 5.79 million taxi licenses, a yearly increase of 45%. In cities like Shanghai and Changsha, authorities have suspended applications for transport service permits.

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The sharp increase in taxicabs signals that the unemployment crisis is not limited to the 18-to-24-year-old demographic. It may extend to those in the 30s, 40s, and even people aged 45 and older.

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Taitung Forest Park is a national wetland, and a conservation forest. It has beautiful natural scenery. We wanted to see how we could use it imaginatively.

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