Regular Wages Up Over 3% in First Three Quarters, Hitting Record High

陳陳柏宏 證券線記者2026-11-11 17:42

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The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics released September payroll statistics, with average regular wages at NT$52,522 and median regular wages at NT$41,356. Cumulative growth in the first three quarters both exceeded 3%, while total wages rose 4.54%, all hitting record highs since compilation began.

September Regular Wages Steadily Up Over 3%

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics today (11th) released September payroll statistics. The average regular wage for full-time ROC-national employees was NT$52,522, up 3.14% year-on-year; the median regular wage was NT$41,356, up 3.22%. Median growth outpaced the average, indicating stronger wage growth momentum among grassroots workers.

Cumulatively from January to September this year, the average regular wage was NT$52,100, up 3.21% year-on-year; the median regular wage was NT$41,120, up 3.36% year-on-year, both hitting record highs since statistics began. Including bonuses, dividends, overtime pay and other irregular earnings, average total wages grew 4.54% year-on-year, also a record high since compilation began.

Real Wages Post Positive Growth for Three Straight Years

Tan Wen-ling, Deputy Director of the Department of Census, said that excluding price effects, real growth in both the average and median regular wages was positive in 2024, 2025, and January-September 2026, making pay raises more tangible for the public. By contrast, real wage growth was sluggish or even negative from 2021 to 2022, mainly due to rising prices and limited pay hikes at the time.

She noted that Taiwan implemented a Level 3 COVID-19 alert in 2021, followed by the Russia-Ukraine war shock in 2022, when surging international raw material prices pushed up domestic prices, eroding nominal wage gains and weakening real wage performance.

Minimum Wage Hikes Lift Low-Wage Earners

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics also used 2020 as the base year to compare wage changes by decile for January-September over the past 6 years. D1 wages rose 20.1%, while D2 and D3 also rose nearly 20%, showing that consecutive minimum wage hikes benefited low-wage earners most.

For the D4 to D7 groups, gains gradually narrowed to 12.4%, with the spillover effect fading as wage levels moved further from the minimum wage. However, gains for high-wage D8 and D9 groups rebounded to 19.3% and 16.7%. Tan Wen-ling explained that pay hikes for high-wage earners are less linked to the minimum wage and more likely reflect a booming economy driving corporate profits, in turn lifting high earners' pay.

FAQ

Why was wage performance in the first three quarters a record?

Cumulatively from January to September, average regular wages rose 3.21% year-on-year and median regular wages rose 3.36% year-on-year, while total wages including bonuses rose 4.54% year-on-year, with all three indicators hitting record highs since statistics began.

Did real wages also grow?

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said that excluding price effects, real growth in both the average and median was positive in 2024, 2025, and the first three quarters of 2026, markedly different from the sluggish or negative growth in 2021-2022.

Which groups were affected by minimum wage hikes?

Using 2020 as the base year, D1 low-wage earners saw wage growth of 20.1%, with D2 and D3 up nearly 20%, benefiting the most; the effect faded for middle groups, while high-wage groups were mainly driven by the economic upturn.