Expectations are high as President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) takes office on May 20. A survey released by a job bank, 1111, revealed common grievances among workers as well as their demands once the new president begins his term.
Based on the 1,107 survey samples the job bank collected, the largest sources of discontent among workers were identified in the following order:
1. Difficulty getting raises
2. Low starting salaries
3. Long working hours
4. Minimal upward mobility
5. Few job opportunities
Workers expect the new president to give priority to addressing long-term salary stagnation, exorbitant housing and rental costs, rising commodity prices, and high electricity rates. Workers hope for legislation mandating that profitable companies raise salaries and a revision to the Labor Standards Act that is in line with the times.
The job bank survey also revealed that as many as 90% of office workers are dissatisfied with their current salary, a record high percentage since the inception of the survey six years ago. Nearly 30% of workers have had their salaries frozen for over 5 years.
The public relations manager of 1111, Tseng Chung-wei (曾仲葳), identified that while basic wages have increased consistently over the past eight years, the national housing price-to-income ratio reached a new high last year. Even under the assumption of zero expenditures, it would take a working individual ten years to afford a home.