Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) The number of people employed in Taiwan's industrial and service sectors rose slightly from a month earlier as rising domestic demand added job openings in the service sector, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Data compiled by the DGBAS showed that employment in the local industrial and service sectors rose 7,000 or 0.08 percent from a month earlier to 7.909 million at the end of June, at a time of increasing domestic business activity on the back of local success in containing COVID-19.

Chen Hui-hsin, deputy director of the DGBAS census department, said the June figure came after four month-on-month falls caused by the spread of the virus.

With domestic demand recovering, Chen said the service sector saw more firms expand their workforce with the number of workers in the arts/entertainment/leisure segment and the hospitality segment up 6,000 and 5,000, respectively.

As business improved, Chen said transportation and hospitality service providers raised salaries to keep workers and meet rising demand in June.

However, the exports-oriented manufacturing industry bucked the upturn, reporting a month-on-month decline in employment of 7,000, Chen said, adding old economy manufacturers including metal, machinery and textile firms, in particular, felt the pinch as global demand fell because of the pandemic.

Chen said the impact of COVID-19 on Taiwanese manufacturers could continue as many countries are suffering a second wave of infections following economic reopening.

Chen also urged the local manufacturing sector to pay close attention to the on-going tensions between Washington and Beijing, which could deal a further blow to the global economy.

Meanwhile, the DGBAS said the average monthly regular wage in the industrial and service sectors rose 1.41 percent from a month earlier to NT$42,352 (US$1,436) in June, while the average earned income, which is comprised of regular wages and non-regular wages such as overtime pay and bonuses, also rose 4.09 percent to NT$5,0581.

In the first six months of this year, the average monthly regular wage rose 1.47 percent from a year earlier to NT$42,277, and average earned income grew 1.03 percent to NT$57,505.