Wed, Jun 04, 2003 page10

• Engineers say `show me the money': survey

  JOB DISSATISFACTION A new poll found that more than 60 percent of respondents would like to do something different, even change industries

  • By Annabel Lue / STAFF REPORTER
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  Nearly two-third of the nation's engineers are dissatisfied with shrinking incomes and are considering moving to greener pastures, according to a job bank survey released yesterday.

  More than 60 percent of engineers polled in the survey expressed an interest in changing jobs, of which 70 percent of people are considering not only changing companies but also industries, according to Career, a local monthly magazine specializing in the domestic job market.

  "With the development of the local semiconductor and compu-ter industries slowing down, engineers don't name these two sectors as their first choices any-more," said Kevin Zang (臧聲遠), the magazine's editor-in-chief.

  Many engineers who are currently working in chip companies say they are interested in turning to optoelectronics companies or digital camera makers, he added.

  The magazine polled 518 engineers between April 25 and May 15.

  The survey showed that nearly 75 percent of engineers believed the nation's information technol-ogy industry has entered a "low-margin" era.

  Employees of DRAM companies and made-to-order chip companies were most pessimistic among respondents, saying these sectors are not expected to be as profitable as they were.

  In addition, engineers who used to make a windfall from stock options can't bank on this practice anymore.

  "Most IT companies decided to slash the number of shares given to employees this year," Zang said.

  MediaTek Inc (聯發科技), the world's biggest maker of chips for DVD players, gave 50.1 shares to each employee last year but has decided to hand out just 44.3 shares this year.

  United Microelectronics Corp (聯電), which gave 19.8 shares to each employee last year, decided to release only 6.2 shares per person this year.

  Unprofitable companies can't retain talent, as engineers are likely to chase the money.

  "Salary is the major factor when engineers consider whether to join a company or not," said Rocky Yang (楊基寬), general manager of the 104 Job Bank Corp (104人力銀行).

  About one-third of engineers said high income is the number one reason they decide to work for IT companies, Yang said.

  Meanwhile, Zang said the SARS outbreak has reduced the interest in working in China.

  "Our latest survey shows only 41 percent of engineers still want to work in China, while according to our research in early March, 73 percent of interviewees were interested in working in that market," he said.

  Zang said he thinks that feeling is just temporary.

  "However if the SARS threat reappears this winter, the attitude of not going to China may be sustained until next year," he added.

  The epidemic has undermined China's job market, with the market's job opportunities in last month sliding 7 percent compared to the same period last year, Yang said.

  In addition, Taiwanese engineers are not expected to receive high salaries in China anymore.

  Based on the current market situation, they will receive the same or 20 percent higher pay for doing same job in Taiwan, while years ago the income difference was about 60 percent, Yang said.
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