Taiwan faces talent shortage: survey

Taiwan is among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region where employers are having the most problems finding suitable employees, the latest talent shortage survey released by Manpower Inc showed.

About 62 percent of Taiwanese employers said it was difficult to find people to fill job vacancies, followed by Japan (55 percent), Australia (49 percent) and New Zealand (39 percent), the Milwaukee-based employment services provider said in a statement yesterday.

In comparison, only 15 percent of employers in China and 20 percent of their Indian peers said they felt talent shortage was a big headache, Manpower’s 2009 Talent Shortage Survey said.

“Talent shortages in Asia Pacific mirror those of the rest of the world, with 32 percent of the region’s employers indicating they are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent in their markets,” the company said in the statement.

In its survey last year, 31 percent of the region’s employers responded that they had difficulty in filling vacancies.

In the Asia Pacific region, vacancies for skilled sales representatives were the most difficult to fill for the fourth year in succession, Manpower said.

The report, which surveyed nearly 39,000 employers in 33 economies in late January, showed that 30 percent of employers worldwide have difficulties finding suitable job candidates this year, with skilled trades people, sales representatives and technicians the most in demand.

“Despite high levels of unemployment in many markets, this year’s talent survey suggests a mismatch between the type of individuals available for work and the specific skills that employers are looking for,” Manpower chairman Jeffrey Joerres said in the statement.

“This conundrum is frustrating both employers and individuals.” he said.