COST OF LIVING/Government urged to enhance salary transparency in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) The government should consider measures to make salary information across different industries more transparent in Taiwan, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said Tuesday, citing the conclusions of a meeting held by a Cabinet economic advisory group.

Kung, wrapping up the group's earlier discussions, said advisors suggested that the government establish a task force to study the feasibility of enhancing salary transparency in different business sectors, through new legislation.

He added that some Western countries have put in place systematic and regular wage gap reporting systems, particularly with regard to how the salaries of employees are compared to those of company executives.

Such transparency lets everyone know "whether the salary structure of a company is reasonable," he added.

Kung was speaking on behalf of one of the three advisors' groups under the Economic Development Commission.

Advisors at the meeting also recommended that the Ministry of Labor clearly define "low-wage workers," meaning those who earn above the minimum wage but still have relatively meager salaries, Kung said.

He added that identifying this group of workers could help the government better formulate policies to increase their salaries or alleviate their financial burden, although he noted that specific government action will require further discussions.

The secretary-general acknowledged that merely raising the minimum wage would not solve the low-wage problems felt by many young people in Taiwan.

According to Kung, recommendations made by the advisors at the talks on Tuesday will be handed over to the Economic Development Commission, which is expected to come up with "more concrete [policy] directions" when it convenes for the second time at the end of September.

Established in July, the Cabinet's Economic Development Commission has been described by Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as a task force responsible for formulating policies and addressing various economic issues.

The commission includes 60 representatives from enterprises, business associations and academia who serve as advisors, and they, divided into three groups, met for the first time in Taipei on Tuesday.

The three groups focused on various areas, including how the government can drive innovation and transformation, foster and bring in talent, and improve policies pertaining to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as individuals.