TAIPEI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The majority of salaried employees in Taiwan say they cannot afford to buy a home and are under heavy mortgage or rent stress, according to a survey.
About 80 percent of 2,784 respondents said they do not own their own home, while about 60 percent of home-owners are feeling the strain from mortgage payments, according to a survey released by local human resource platform 1111 Job Bank.
Meanwhile, 64.2 percent of Taiwan's salaried workers who rent homes spend an average of 9,902 new Taiwan dollars (330.6 U.S. dollars) per month on rent, about 24 percent of their monthly income.
Local official data shows that average house prices across the island reached a 15-year high in June this year, with salaried workers having to save for at least nine years without any spending to buy a house.
In Taiwan, about 1.29 million employees (25.2 percent of all workers) earn 22,000 to 23,000 new Taiwan dollars per month, and struggle dealing with high house prices and low wages, according to 1111 Job Bank Vice President Daniel Lee.
