About 95 percent of young people from Taiwan aged between 21 and 30 are "dissatisfied with their life at work," with over 20 percent "very dissatisfied," according to a survey by Taiwan's 1111 Job Bank released Monday.
Over 77 percent of the 648 respondents said they were mostly dissatisfied with their income, followed by "long working hours" as well as "limited opportunities for young people."
Daniel Lee, vice president of 1111 Job Bank, said although the per capita monthly income in Taiwan had reached a record high of 48,790 new Taiwan dollars (NTD), or about 1,595 U.S. dollars in 2016, personal income in real terms had dropped to 46,422 NTD a month, lower than 16 years ago.
"Low income has become an indisputable fact, and young people at the start of their career are the most vulnerable," Lee said.
The average monthly income of respondents was just 26,614 NTD, with monthly personal income for part-time students 22,857 NTD, while full-time workers were paid just 6,700 NTD higher, at 29,638 NTD a month.
"College students now have a variety of choices in part-time jobs, including well-paid ones such as tutoring, modelling and design, yet job-beginners face various issues like low starting salaries and long working hours, leading to an unhappy life at work," Lee said.
Almost 80 percent of respondents said that "no savings/not being able to afford a house" was their top concern, followed by "high commodity prices" and "lack of connections."
Data from Taiwan's land and resource bureau showed that the price to income ratio in Taiwan had hit 8.97, meaning it would almost be nine years' wages to buy the cheapest house. In Taipei, the ratio almost doubled to 15.07.
The survey polled 648 young people between March 23 and April 6.
