TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A survey released by a Taiwanese placement agency indicated the lowest-paying sector in the country for 2021 was food and beverage services, with the average monthly salary sitting at NT$34,426 (US$1,229).

Restaurant workers are among the two-thirds of sectors where employees are usually paid under the market average of NT$42,000, according to data from 104 Job Bank.

Other sectors among the poorest paid in Taiwan were hairdressing and social welfare, with each on average paying their staff NT$34,972 and NT$35,225, respectively.

The placement agency said the career of a restaurant chef has promising potential for pay growth. A chef with five years of work experience and various certificates in culinary arts, for example, can see a 22-percent rise from the general starting salary level to NT$42,000, the hiring expert said.

On the other hand, the average salary for consumer electronics manufacturing jobs (NT$54,640) outshined workers in the semiconductor industry (NT$52,288), followed by high-paying jobs in footwear manufacturing (NT$51,061), investments (NT$50,849), software and internet (NT$49,820), finance (NT$48,633), optronics (NT$48,255), petroleum and petrochemicals (NT$46,372), telecommunications (NT$45,922), design and consultancy (NT$45,641), and energy (NT$45,370).