With the economy recovering, new job openings last month rose by 7 percent from a year earlier, 1111 Job Bank (1111人力銀行) said yesterday, citing statistics compiled by its online data bank.
New work regulations implemented also pushed employers to boost their workforces to meet their requirements, the job bank said.
As of the end of last month, the number of new job openings posted on the 1111 database topped 400,000, it said, showing an improving job market in line with the economic recovery.
Last month was the second consecutive month in which the number of job openings hit a new 18-year high, the job bank said..
With local economic fundamentals improving, the jobless rate for June fell 0.18 percentage points from a month earlier to 3.74 percent, while after seasonal adjustments, unemployment stood at 3.78 percent, a new low for 22 months, official statistics showed.
The job bank said that the improved economy has made many employees bolder and more willing to seek new jobs for higher pay.
New labor regulations, which took effect in December last year, also forced companies to boost recruitment to meet the regulatory requirements.
Under the new regulations, the maximum number of work hours has been reduced from 84 hours per two weeks to 40 hours per week, with one mandatory day off and one flexible rest day each week.
Employers are now required to pay overtime for work carried out on the flexible day off, but many employers and employees have complained that the new rules leave less leeway for more flexible work schedules, even if both sides agree.
In the survey, the job bank found that the old economy, information technology and service sectors were the top three industries that saw the highest growth in hiring.
Hiring in the old economy sector grew by 14.8 percent, while growth in the information technology and services sectors reached 14.2 percent and 8.8 percent respectively, the survey found.
Employees aged 41 to 45 who have been in the job market for 10 to 20 years appeared more willing to change their jobs, with the number of resumes submitted by this age group last month rising 32.6 percent from a year earlier, the job bank said.
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