Taiwan's consumer confidence weakened to some extent in September as consumers' outlook of the local job market's prospects over the next six months significantly worsened, reports Focus Taiwan, citing a survey from the National Central University. The September consumer confidence index fell 1.04 points from a month earlier to 74.39, the second consecutive month of decline, with four of the Index’s six sub-indexes moving lower and the sub-index on employment suffering the steepest fall. The index is an indication of the level of public confidence over the next six months in the areas of employment, family finances, consumer prices, the local economic climate, the stock market and the likelihood of purchasing durable goods such as cars and homes. The sub-index that reflects consumers' faith in the job market fell 3.65 from a month earlier to 65.8 in September, the steepest fall among the six factors, the survey found.

Dachrahn Wu, director of NCU's Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development, said that, with domestic demand still sluggish, "employment is still not ideal at this point in time.”