Taiwan's gender pay gap narrows in 2023

Taipei, Feb. 29 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Thursday announced that this year's Equal Pay Day fell on Feb. 23, four days earlier than in 2023, based on its estimate that women needed to work until this point in 2024 to achieve the same 2023 salary as men.

Women had to work an average of 54 more days than men to earn the same income because their salaries were on average 14.7 percent lower than their male counterparts in 2023.

The average hourly salary for female employees in 2023 was NT$318 (US$10.5), compared with NT$373 for men, according to the ministry.

The ministry said that while the gender pay gap has narrowed long term, the impact of COVID-19 slightly widened the gap from 14 percent in 2020 to the 15.8 percent logged in 2021 and 2022.

However, in 2023, the pay gap decreased to 14.7 percent, primarily due to the service industry requiring more labor, with most of those roles filled by women.

Meanwhile, the ministry highlighted that Taiwan fares better on gender pay equality compared to other countries in the region and worldwide.

For instance, in 2022, the pay rate gap between men and women was 30.2 percent in Japan, 30 percent in South Korea, and 17 percent in the United States.

The concept of Equal Pay Day was established in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity in the U.S. to raise public awareness about the gap between men's and women's wages.

The MOL has announced Taiwan's Equal Pay Day every year since 2012.