Taiwanese youth questions the value of homeownership

Taiwanese Youth Question the Value of Homeownership

In Taiwan, homeownership has long been considered a hallmark of stability and success. Older generations worked diligently to purchase property, viewing it as both a personal milestone and a sound investment. However, a growing number of young Taiwanese are questioning whether owning a home is still a worthwhile goal. With soaring real estate prices, stagnant wages, and shifting lifestyle priorities, many are reconsidering the traditional notion that a house equals prosperity.

The Rising Cost of Homeownership

One of the primary deterrents to homeownership among Taiwanese youth is the staggering increase in housing prices. In cities like Taipei, where job opportunities are concentrated, real estate values have skyrocketed beyond the reach of most young professionals. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the price-to-income ratio in Taipei exceeds 15:1, meaning that it would take over 15 years of an average salary without spending on anything else just to afford a home. That is a higher ratio than New York (9.8), London (14), or Seoul (13). It is not much better outside the capital.

The United Nations considers a housing price-to-income ratio of three to be affordable. But Taiwan’s national average is 11. Even its cheapest city, Keelung, has a ratio of 6.5. The average Taiwanese household spent nearly half of their disposable income on mortgage payments in the second quarter of 2024.

For many young people, this financial burden makes homeownership an unrealistic dream. High down payments and lengthy mortgage commitments deter them from even considering a purchase. Instead, they opt to rent, live with family, or explore alternative housing solutions.

Stagnant Wages and Economic Pressures

While housing prices have surged, wages have remained relatively stagnant. Many young professionals struggle with limited income growth, making it difficult to save for a down payment or qualify for a mortgage. Additionally, the rising cost of living, student loan debts, and job market instability contribute to financial insecurity.

They are reluctant to become a wu nu, or “housing slave”, that is slang for young homebuyers who feel trapped by their expensive mortgages.

Rather than tying themselves to a long-term mortgage, many prefer the flexibility that renting provides. Renting allows them to relocate for job opportunities, travel, and invest in other aspects of life, such as education and experiences.

Changing Attitudes Toward Success and Happiness

Unlike previous generations, young Taiwanese are redefining success beyond material assets. For many, homeownership is no longer seen as the ultimate achievement.

Instead, they prioritize work-life balance, mental well-being, and financial independence.

The rise of remote work and digital nomad lifestyles has further influenced this shift. Many young professionals prefer to invest in experiences, personal growth, and travel rather than tying themselves to a mortgage in an increasingly expensive housing market. Some even choose to move abroad, seeking better opportunities and a lower cost of living.

Government Measures and Housing Policies

In response to affordability concerns, the Taiwanese government has introduced measures such as social housing projects, rental subsidies, and tax policies aimed at curbing speculative real estate investments. However, these efforts have yet to make a significant impact on making homeownership accessible for younger generations.

Some experts argue that more drastic reforms are needed to regulate the housing market and address income disparities. Without meaningful intervention, the trend of declining homeownership rates among young people may continue.

Taiwanese youth are challenging the traditional belief that owning a home is an essential part of adulthood. With economic constraints, evolving priorities, and a desire for flexibility, many are choosing alternatives to homeownership. As societal attitudes shift, it remains to be seen whether the government and real estate market will adapt to accommodate the changing needs of the younger generation.

Source: Ziggurat Real Estate

PHL fails to meet 2024 growth goal

The Philippine economy expanded by a weaker-than-expected 5.2% in the fourth quarter, bringing full-year growth to below the government’s target amid subdued consumption and lower farm output.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 5.2% in the October-to-December period, slower than the 5.5% in the same period in 2023.

This matched the 5.2% expansion in the third quarter, which was the slowest GDP since 4.3% in the second quarter of 2023.

Full-year growth came in at 5.6%, falling short of the revised 6-6.5% target. The 2024 GDP growth was slightly faster than 5.5% in 2023. 

“In 2024, we faced numerous setbacks like extreme weather events, geopolitical tensions, and subdued global demand, similar to the challenges we encountered in 2023,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Group Rosemarie G. Edillon said. “This suggests that these conditions may represent the new normal.”

On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, GDP posted growth of 1.8% in the fourth quarter from 1.5% in the previous quarter.

Among Asian countries that have released their data, Ms. Edillon said the Philippines had the third-fastest GDP growth in the fourth quarter, behind Vietnam (7.5%) and China (5.4%), and ahead of Malaysia (4.8%).

“While this is below our target, we continue to be one of the fastest-growing economies in both the region and the world. This is despite external and local challenges such as extreme weather events, geopolitical tensions, and subdued global demand,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a separate statement.

Ms. Edillon attributed the slower growth to the impact of a series of typhoons on the agriculture sector in the last few months of 2024.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) shrank by 1.8% in the October-December period, improving from the 2.7% contraction a year ago.

In 2024, agriculture declined by 1.6%, a reversal of the 1.2% growth in 2023.

“The agriculture sector has faced significant setbacks due to typhoons, droughts, and other climate-related disruptions,” Ms. Edillon said.

Separate PSA data showed agricultural output contracted by a record 2.2% to P1.73 trillion in 2024, brought by El Niño and then followed by La Niña. Farm output’s decline last year was the worst in almost three decades (26 years) or since the 7% contraction in 1998.

“The AFF sector, which contributes around 8% to GDP and provides livelihood for about one-fourth of the workforce, faced disruptions in crop production, livestock, and fisheries, further compounding its vulnerabilities,” Ms. Edillon said.

At the same time, the industry sector grew by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, slowing from 5.1% a year ago. For 2024, industry expanded by 5.6%, improving from 3.6% in 2023.

Construction and manufacturing were the main contributors to industry’s growth. Construction growth slowed to 7.8% in the fourth quarter from 9% in the same period a year ago, bringing the full-year growth to 10.3%.

“Manufacturing grew only by 3.1%. This performance has been hampered by subdued global demand due to geopolitical tensions and the slow recovery of advanced economies,” Ms. Edillon said.

“There are industries like semiconductors that still need to update their product offerings to meet changing demand.”

The services sector, which accounted for 62% of total GDP, expanded by 6.7% in the October-to-December period, slowing from 7.4% in the same period in 2023. For the full year, services growth stood at 6.7%.

LACKLUSTER CONSUMPTION

Meanwhile, household final consumption expenditure, which accounts for over 70% of the economy, grew by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, slowing from 5.2% in the third quarter and 5.3% in the same quarter in 2023.

For the full year, household consumption rose by 4.8%, slowing from 5.6% in 2023. Private consumption accounts for about three-fourths of the economy.

Ms. Edillon said household consumption was affected by the series of typhoons that hit the country in the fourth quarter.

“This one has dampened the growth momentum… Although we did see that there was an increased spending on travel, on transport, and on recreation and culture. But it was not enough to counter the slowdown in the other expenditure items,” she said.

Ms. Edillon said high prices of food, particularly vegetables, also weighed on consumption in the fourth quarter.

“We’re hoping that this is very temporary… We hope that the situation will stabilize soon,” she added.

Miguel Chanco, chief emerging Asia economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the latest GDP data show a renewed deterioration in household consumption.

“This (4.7% rise in consumption in the fourth quarter) marks a return to the 10-year-plus lows seen in the first half of last year, if we’re to exclude the anomalous COVID-19 years, with the full-year outturn of 4.8% representing the slowest growth since 2010,” Mr. Chanco said in a report.

“We’d like to reiterate that private consumption is likely to remain subdued even though inflation has normalized, and interest rates are now falling, as household balance sheets are still weak, plagued by low savings and high debt,” he added.

GOV’T SPENDING

PSA data also showed government final consumption expenditure (GFCE) rose by an annual 9.7% in the October-to-December period, a turnaround from the 1% decline in the same period in 2023.

In 2024, government spending grew by 7.2%, faster than 0.6% seen in 2023.

“We are quite happy with this performance of GFCE… That particular spending growth is actually quite respectable and in fact supportive of the entire economy,” Ms. Edillon said.

In a separate interview, Ms. Edillon said seven infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) were completed last year and 13 more are on track to be finished this year.

Gross capital formation, the investment component of the economy, grew by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, sharply slowing from 11.6% in the same quarter in 2023.

For the full year, gross capital formation expanded by 7.5%, faster than 5.9% a year ago.

Ms. Edillon said that in general, the investments remain fine as there is still a huge backlog of infrastructure projects that will “tide us over until we get all these big investments coming in.”

“With respect to foreign investments, you still have geopolitical tensions. This is a big problem but we’re hoping these are very temporary,” she added.

Meanwhile, exports of goods and services grew by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, bouncing back from the 2.5% contraction in the same period a year ago, driven by a 13.5% rise in exports of services. Exports of goods fell by 4.6%.

For 2024, exports of goods and services expanded by 3.4%, faster than the 1.4% growth in the previous year.

Imports increased by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, faster than the 2% in the prior year.

For the full year, imports expanded by 4.3%, quicker than the 1% growth in 2023.

OUTLOOK

Meanwhile, NEDA’s Ms. Edillon said the government is confident on hitting at least the lower end of the 6-8% target for 2025 as government agencies are instructed to “think continuity and maximum impact.”

“Looking ahead to 2025, we want to regain our growth momentum driven by strategic investments and initiatives designed to strengthen resilience and lay the foundation for long-term, inclusive growth,” she added.

Mr. Recto said the government remains optimistic about the economic outlook this year.

“A lower inflation rate gives us more room to ease interest rates, which will further boost consumption,” he added.

Capital Economics Senior Asia Economist Gareth Leather said he expects the Philippine economy to grow by 6% this year.

“Strong and steady growth supports our view that the easing cycle will remain gradual over the coming months,” Mr. Leather said in a report.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas began its rate-cutting cycle in August last year, delivering a total of 75 bps worth of reductions.

“A key uncertainty over the coming year is whether and to what extent Donald Trump follows through with his threats to impose tariffs and clamp down on immigration. The Philippines is less vulnerable than other parts of the region to tariffs. However, Trump’s deportation plans could affect remittances from the US to the Philippines, which are equivalent to around 3.5% of the country’s GDP,” Mr. Leather said.

Source: Business World

Climate change could cut PHL’s GDP by 18% by 2070

The Philippines could potentially lose 18.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2070 due to climate change under a high emissions scenario, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

“In the Philippines, about half of losses come from sea level rise. And then, a larger share than at the regional average would come from natural resource-based sectors, so agriculture, fisheries, forestry,” David A. Raitzer, senior economist at the ADB’s Economic Research and Development Impact Department, said in a virtual briefing on Thursday.

In particular, the Philippines’ agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors could suffer a combined 4.7% output loss by 2070 due to the impact of climate change, according to the ADB’s inaugural Asia-Pacific Climate Report.

The estimated loss in the Philippines’ natural resource-based sectors is higher than the 2.1% average loss across the Asia-Pacific, the ADB said.

The developing Asia-Pacific region could potentially suffer a 17% loss in its collective GDP by 2070 if high emissions continue. The losses could climb to as much as 41% of the region’s GDP by 2100.

Among Southeast Asian economies, Vietnam will experience the highest overall GDP loss due to climate change at 30.2% by 2070, followed by Indonesia (26.8%).

“These losses are far above prior model-based losses and are consistent with the upper bound of econometric estimates,” the ADB said in the report. “They also confirm that climate policy responses, including adaptation and mitigation, will be essential to the future welfare of the Asia and Pacific region.”

If climate change continues to worsen, the rising sea levels and storm surges will likely cause trillions of dollars’ worth of annual damage in the Asia-Pacific by 2070, ADB Principal Economist Yi Jiang said at a briefing.

Toru Kubo, senior director at the ADB’s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, said inhabited parts of the Asia-Pacific will be 4 to 8 degrees Celsius (°C) warmer within the century.

“Given that warmer air of 1°C can hold roughly 7% more water, that is approximately 30-50% more moisture in the atmosphere that comes crashing down when it hits cold air masses,” Mr. Kubo told the briefing.

“Our cities, the rivers, the drainage systems, the critical infrastructure for power, transport, water, food production systems, buildings and homes are not designed to cope with such extreme heat and sudden volumes of water.”

The Asia-Pacific region generates about half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Many of its countries are signatories to the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit the average global temperature to within 1.5°C.

“Climate change has supercharged the devastation from tropical storms, heat waves, and floods in the region, contributing to unprecedented economic challenges and human suffering,” ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said in a statement.

“Urgent, well-coordinated climate action that addresses these impacts is needed before it is too late.”

Despite significant strides in reducing emissions intensity, and a 50% decrease across developing Asia since 2000, the region still produces nearly half of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Rapid production, rising energy demand and increased domestic consumption fueled the emissions rise over the past two decades, the ADB said, with China accounting for two-thirds of the increase. South Asia and Southeast Asia contributed 19.3% and 15.4%, respectively.

The energy sector is the region’s largest emitter, responsible for 77.6% of total emissions, driven by a heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

Left unchecked, these trends place developing Asia at the center of the climate crisis, both in terms of impacts from global warming and solutions, the ADB said.

“The window to stay within the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement is rapidly closing,” ADB said.

It urged countries to come up with more ambitious and large-scale mitigation action plans, accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions and scale up investments in advanced climate technologies and nature-based solutions.

Meanwhile, a majority of Filipinos identify climate change as a serious problem, according the ADB’s Climate Change Perception Survey mentioned in the report.

In a survey of 1,000 Filipino respondents, 90% believe climate change affects people now and in the next 10 years, while 86% of respondents said it affects their family now or within the next 10 years.

According to the survey, most Filipinos (71%) said they were most concerned about the impact of flooding, followed by heat waves (54%), unpredictable weather (46%), less productive agriculture/higher food prices/reduced food security (34%), and drought (21%).

More than half (59%) of Filipinos surveyed supported investments in low-emissions and resilient infrastructure, while 45% backed a carbon tax.

The survey was conducted online from July 8 to 31,. It surveyed 13,500 respondents across 14 Asian economies.

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Source: Business World and ADB