In the latest sign that Taiwan’s economy is recovering, 37 percent of local firms have indicated they plan to raise salaries for their workers next year, with the average pay raise at 5.84 percent, the results of a survey released yesterday by 1111 Job Bank showed.
Many workers have already received pay raises this year, as the nation begins to emerge from its worst recession in decades. The economy contracted 1.29 percent in the third quarter — the slowest rate in a year.
Workers in the transportation logistics, real estate and manufacturing sectors received the largest pay raises this year. Along with financial and business services, the real estate and transportation logistics sectors and will see the largest growth in salaries next year, the survey found.
Meanwhile, 58.08 percent of the companies said they do not have any plans to raise salaries, while 2.62 percent said they would continue cutting salaries or simply adjust salaries back to pre-economic crisis levels.
The 1111 Job Bank carried out the survey of companies from Dec. 8 to Monday, getting 687 valid responses.
Another survey conducted by the executive research 104 job bank showed that some 85 percent of Taiwan’s enterprises have plans to hire new workers next year, up by 36 percent from the same period last year.
The survey found that financial services and insurance companies, culture-related and IT software businesses along with those in the construction and manufacturing sectors plan to recruit new blood next year, citing the need to fill key vacancies and expand operations.
Sales representatives, R&D engineers and skilled workers are in the most demand, the survey results showed. Job seekers who have one to three years of experience in these fields are in strong demand as such job positions account for more than 60 percent of the total job openings. Those with more than three years of experience and new college graduates are also popular in the job market.
104 Job Bank public relations manager Max Fang (方光瑋) said companies from almost all sectors are set to employ new personnel at all levels amid a noticeable economic recovery.
While seeking to recruit new workers, enterprises are trying to offer better incentives, including more handsome cash rewards, year-end bonuses and benefits or more comprehensive training courses, to retain current staffers, the survey found.
The head hunting job bank conducted the survey between Nov. 23 and Nov. 30, collecting 800 valid samples. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.
In another 104 survey, around 81.2 percent of Taiwan’s white-collar office workers said they have thought about switching jobs in the coming year — the highest rate in three years.
About 50 percent of them are thinking of making the move before getting their year-end bonuses, the poll said.
Most of the white-collar office workers pondering new jobs cited their reasons as “no promotion opportunities,” “unsatisfactory salaries” or “feeling no identity with the enterprise culture.”
Of those who recently found new employment, 32 percent said their new salaries were 14.5 percent higher on average than their previous pay, while 47 percent said their salaries shrank by an average of 18.4 percent, the survey said.
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