|
Half of salaried
workers burdened with debt: poll
By Hsieh Wen-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff
writer
A poll released by online job bank Yes123 yesterday suggested that more than
half of the nation¡¦s salaried workers are burdened with debt.
Saying the income of the average salary worker has regressed to the average
level 15 years ago amid the current rise in commodity prices, Yes123 deputy
director Huang Yu-ling (¶À¥ÉÄÖ) said the poll showed that 51 percent of salaried
workers spend their entire salaries within the month.
The online poll was conducted from Sept. 4 to Sept 11, collecting a total of
2,249 valid samples, she said.
The poll further suggested that 87 percent of those surveyed are afraid of
starting a family, 52 percent are burdened with debt, 91 percent feel that
saving their first NT$1 million (US$34,130) is impossible and 47 percent
estimate it would take them at least 10 years to earn their first NT$1 million.
More than 59 percent of salaried workers cannot afford to spend more than NT$200
on daily necessities, and among that group, 17 percent manage to spend less than
NT$100 a day, the poll showed.
A quarter of salaried workers indicated they expected to be able to save if
their salary increased by between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000, while 16 percent
indicate that they would need an additional NT$10,000 to NT$15,000 to start
saving money, the poll showed.
Eleven percent said a salary increase of NT$30,000 was necessary to make saving
possible, demonstrating that many salaried workers live beyond their means, the
poll showed.
While 35 percent of single workers estimate that a minimum income of NT$50,000
is needed to live in Taipei, another 31 percent felt that NT$40,000 was
sufficient, the poll showed.
However, according to Huang, workers fresh out of college are offered wages
averaging at NT$25,000, showing a significant difference between salary
expectations and reality.
At the press conference yesterday, 31-year-old Wang Yung-kang (¤ý¥Ã±d), a graduate
of Chinese Culture University¡¦s math department, said that the rising commodity
prices have further devalued salaries.
After working at a hotpot restaurant for four years and taking on a number of
other jobs such as tutoring and unloading cargo, Wang said that he was left with
just NT$1,080 in his account after paying off his monthly bills.
Lu Chi-jung (§fºö»T), 26. said she has a monthly income of NT$29,000. After
deducting rent, expenses for necessities, some money given to her mother and
student loans,, she usually has just NT$9 left for daily expenses, so she is
forced to spend her entire salary within the month.
|
