TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Wages for teachers, military personnel and government employees will not rise in 2021 due to the financial burden of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the Cabinet's Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced Saturday (Sept. 26).

The decision was reached after a detailed study of the government’s financial situation, including the consumer price index, gross domestic product growth rate, and level of private income, CNA reported.

The department considered budget shortages for local governments and the central government’s special budgets to help the economy recover from the pandemic. Due to the heavy financial burden of the virus and because inflation had not markedly increased since 2018, it was decided that raising wages for civil servants in 2021 would not be necessary, the body said.