TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese salary earners are expected to receive a year-end cash bonus that is equivalent to 1.18 of monthly pay, on average, the lowest in eight years as a result of economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a survey released by job bank 1111 on Friday (Jan. 29), 86 percent of companies in Taiwan plan to award their employees with a cash bonus before the Lunar New Year holiday, up from 82.3 percent last year.

The IT sector is the most generous as it will grant an average of 1.42 of a month's pay, while the service industry appears to be the least generous with just 0.9 of a month's bonus. Around 30 percent of respondents are not doling out cash awards this year, 43.7 percent cited sales woes due to COVID-19, while 37.5 percent said they struggled to make a profit, reported Newtalk.

2020 saw a polarized trend in business profitability, said Vivi Huang (黃若薇), spokesperson for 1111. Finance and ICT industries managed to stay on a profitable path, but hospitality and service businesses wobbled.

A survey conducted by job bank yes123 in December suggested that 56 percent of salaried workers anticipated they would receive a year-end bonus, representing the lowest level of confidence in eight years. With less than two weeks until Lunar New Year, about 82.2 percent of the country’s workers have not seen the money in their pockets.

The 1111 poll, conducted between Jan. 14-28, was based on 858 valid samples from local firms via phone interviews.