TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Workers in Taiwan’s manufacturing sector performed an average of 20.4 hours of overtime each month last year, according to a survey published by the Ministry of Labor Wednesday.

Staff at real estate agencies came second with 18.8 hours of overtime, and farmers finished third with 18.3 hours, while the national average was 14.7 hours per month, per CNA. The ministry said it received 4,085 valid responses to the survey from Taiwanese workers during 2024.

The proportion of workers working overtime amounted to 36.6%, or 4.6% less than in 2023. The sector with the most overtime workers was public administration, including the military, with 53.3% of staff involved. Employees in the science and technology services came second, with 52.1% of staff working overtime.

As to overtime pay, 85.3% of survey respondents indicated they had received adequate payment or compensation leave. However, 33.7% of staff in the real estate sector said there were times they had not been compensated for their overtime.

The study also found that 25.5% had been told to work overtime by phone, internet, or app messages from their employer. The figure was 1% higher than the previous year, according to the ministry.

On the whole, 74.5% of employees were satisfied with their work, 22.6% gave a neutral reply, and 2.8% were dissatisfied. Gender equality scored the highest satisfaction rate with 97.5%, while the promotion system scored the lowest marks, with 77.2% giving it a negative rating.