Graduates' Average Starting Salary NT$39,000; 17.2% Only Receive Minimum Wage
Taiwan's Ministry of Labor announced that the average starting salary for graduates in 2025 is NT$39,000, a 5.4% increase year-on-year. However, 24,000 people, or 17.2% of graduates, still receive the minimum wage, highlighting a persistent income disparity.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 17:52
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 18:02 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 21:12 (3h 9m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wu Hsin-yun, Taipei 24th) With graduation season approaching, the Ministry of Labor today announced the initial personnel salary statistics. The average starting salary for graduates is NT$39,000, an annual increase of 5.4%, with a median salary of NT$36,000. However, 24,000 people, or about 17.2%, still receive the minimum wage.
To understand the salary levels of those entering the workforce for the first time, the Ministry of Labor compiled statistics on initial employment salaries for graduates from senior secondary schools and above, using big data from labor pension monthly contribution wages and civil service insurance. The statistical results were released today.
The statistics show that in 2025, 91.9% of initial personnel had an education level of university or higher, with 21.5% being postgraduate. The top three industries for employment were manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and healthcare and social work services. Among university graduates entering the workforce for the first time, women accounted for a larger proportion at 57.8%, while men accounted for a larger proportion at 59.1% among postgraduate graduates.
Regarding salaries, the average salary for initial personnel in 2025 was NT$39,000, an annual increase of 5.4%. Among them, university graduates earned NT$36,000, and postgraduate graduates earned NT$53,000. The median salary for initial personnel was NT$36,000, with NT$34,000 for college (junior college and university) graduates and NT$51,000 for postgraduate graduates.
The statistics also show that in 2025, the average salary for female initial personnel was 90.8% of that for males, meaning a gender wage gap of 9.2%. For all education levels, the gender wage gap was below 1.5%, except for postgraduate, which was 12.1%.
The Department of Statistics, Ministry of Labor, stated that postgraduate graduates had the highest salaries among all education levels, which should be related to the fact that 65.1% of male postgraduate initial personnel (females accounted for only 29.3%) majored in information and communication technology or engineering fields, leading more men to engage in higher-paying technology and engineering fields.
In addition, the statistics show that in 2025, 24,000 initial personnel, or 17.2%, started with the minimum wage of NT$28,590, a decrease of nearly 4,000 people or 1.5 percentage points compared to 2024. Compared to 2021, the proportion decreased by 8.8 percentage points, and the average salary of initial personnel employed in 2024 who were still employed in December 2025 increased by 16.1% compared to their initial employment in 2024.
Furthermore, observing the main industries where initial personnel were employed, in 2025, university graduates in healthcare and social work services had the highest average salary at NT$42,000, followed by finance and insurance at NT$39,000. For postgraduate graduates, publishing, video, and information and communication services had the highest at NT$61,000, followed by manufacturing at NT$60,000.
By academic discipline, the statistics show that in 2025, university graduates majoring in medical and health sciences and social welfare had the highest salaries at NT$42,000, followed by education at NT$40,000. For postgraduate graduates, those majoring in information and communication technology had the highest salaries at NT$60,000, followed by engineering, manufacturing, and construction at NT$59,000. (Editor: Guan Chung-wei) 1150424
Choose to stand with the facts. Your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Texts, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
(Central News Agency reporter Wu Hsin-yun, Taipei 24th) With graduation season approaching, the Ministry of Labor today announced the initial personnel salary statistics. The average starting salary for graduates is NT$39,000, an annual increase of 5.4%, with a median salary of NT$36,000. However, 24,000 people, or about 17.2%, still receive the minimum wage.
To understand the salary levels of those entering the workforce for the first time, the Ministry of Labor compiled statistics on initial employment salaries for graduates from senior secondary schools and above, using big data from labor pension monthly contribution wages and civil service insurance. The statistical results were released today.
The statistics show that in 2025, 91.9% of initial personnel had an education level of university or higher, with 21.5% being postgraduate. The top three industries for employment were manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and healthcare and social work services. Among university graduates entering the workforce for the first time, women accounted for a larger proportion at 57.8%, while men accounted for a larger proportion at 59.1% among postgraduate graduates.
Regarding salaries, the average salary for initial personnel in 2025 was NT$39,000, an annual increase of 5.4%. Among them, university graduates earned NT$36,000, and postgraduate graduates earned NT$53,000. The median salary for initial personnel was NT$36,000, with NT$34,000 for college (junior college and university) graduates and NT$51,000 for postgraduate graduates.
The statistics also show that in 2025, the average salary for female initial personnel was 90.8% of that for males, meaning a gender wage gap of 9.2%. For all education levels, the gender wage gap was below 1.5%, except for postgraduate, which was 12.1%.
The Department of Statistics, Ministry of Labor, stated that postgraduate graduates had the highest salaries among all education levels, which should be related to the fact that 65.1% of male postgraduate initial personnel (females accounted for only 29.3%) majored in information and communication technology or engineering fields, leading more men to engage in higher-paying technology and engineering fields.
In addition, the statistics show that in 2025, 24,000 initial personnel, or 17.2%, started with the minimum wage of NT$28,590, a decrease of nearly 4,000 people or 1.5 percentage points compared to 2024. Compared to 2021, the proportion decreased by 8.8 percentage points, and the average salary of initial personnel employed in 2024 who were still employed in December 2025 increased by 16.1% compared to their initial employment in 2024.
Furthermore, observing the main industries where initial personnel were employed, in 2025, university graduates in healthcare and social work services had the highest average salary at NT$42,000, followed by finance and insurance at NT$39,000. For postgraduate graduates, publishing, video, and information and communication services had the highest at NT$61,000, followed by manufacturing at NT$60,000.
By academic discipline, the statistics show that in 2025, university graduates majoring in medical and health sciences and social welfare had the highest salaries at NT$42,000, followed by education at NT$40,000. For postgraduate graduates, those majoring in information and communication technology had the highest salaries at NT$60,000, followed by engineering, manufacturing, and construction at NT$59,000. (Editor: Guan Chung-wei) 1150424
Choose to stand with the facts. Your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Texts, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.