Working Hours in Taiwan Longer Than in South Korea, Japan

TaiwanPlus News

The International Labour Organization says Taiwan averaged nearly 40 working hours per week in 2024, longer than in South Korea and Japan. Taiwan's government says it's working on improving the situation but labor rights groups say it's not enough.

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00:00Taiwan's workers are known for putting in long hours.

00:03In fact, latest data from the International Labour Organization finds that.

00:07Taiwanese worked on average more than 39 hours per week in 2024.

00:12That's more than South Korea's 37 and Japan's 31.

00:16Taiwan's Labour Ministry says this is because Taiwan has more full-time workers than part-time workers.

00:30Officials say that's compared to Japan's part-timers, which account for 30% of its workforce.

00:40But Taiwanese labour rights groups say the country's working hours are still high.

00:45They say some in low-wage sectors, like manufacturers, workers rely on overtime to boost their income.

01:00Speaking to people in Taipei, their views on Taiwan's working hours were mixed.

01:30The government says there's room for improvement, including raising the minimum wage and legislation to protect workers' rights.

01:43Still, Taiwan's critical tech sector locked more overtime last year than any other time in the past four decades.

01:49And as overseas demand for chips and AI remains strong, workers here are not likely to see their working hours drop anytime soon.

01:57Just the food and IT for Taiwan Plus.

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