【By Wendy Lee】

Taiwan’s gender wage gap stood at 14 percent in 2016, down 0.5 percent from the year before, according to the latest statistics released by Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Friday.

Taiwanese women made an average NT$44,168 a month in 2016, the survey said. The figure was 83.61 percent of Taiwanese men’s average monthly income, which stood at NT$52,824.

Meanwhile, the average hourly wage for Taiwanese women was NT$264.6, 86 percent of that of Taiwanese men’s average hourly wage, making it a 14 percent wage gap.

The DGBAS noted that the wage gap differs by occupation, length of service, and education level.

On the other hand, Taiwan’s average monthly wage inched up 0.62 percent to NT$48,790 in 2016, the highest level on record.

However, after being adjusted for a 1.4 percent increase in Taiwan's consumer price index, the nation’s average real earnings were recorded at NT$46,422, marking an overall decrease of 0.77 percent from the previous year, according to the statistics.

[Taiwan News, 2017-02-24]