Hiring might hold steady next quarter, despite a worsening US-China trade dispute, as local firms based in China are moving back to Taiwan and stepping up construction on new factories, a survey by US-based ManpowerGroup Inc showed.
The quarterly survey showed that the local job outlook for next quarter is flat from this quarter and a year earlier, as investment pledges by returning companies started to shore up the labor market, ManpowerGroup Taiwan general manager Joan Yeh (葉朝蒂) said.
The human resources firm polled 59,238 employers — including 1,036 local firms — in 44 countries and territories to gauge hiring intentions for the October-to-December period, with Taiwan ranking among the top-two brightest in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.
Of the seven major industries, mining and construction expressed the strongest hiring plans for the next quarter, the survey said.
Construction of new factories and revamping of old ones gained traction, benefiting building material suppliers and spurring need for construction, management and maintenance engineers, it found.
Some of the investment pledges made by returning Taiwanese firms have started to materialize, Yeh said, adding that public works to improve infrastructure also lent support.
The manufacturing industry also intends to keep headcount steady, as manufacturers are seeking to strike a balance between a high sales season and downside risks linked to global uncertainty, the survey said.
However, restaurants and hotel operators have the weakest hiring intentions, due to negative factors ranging from China’s travel ban on individual tourist visits to Taiwan, to the elections in January next year, which have dimmed the business outlook for employers in the tourism and hospitality industries, Yeh said.
A government subsidy program for domestic travel might mitigate, but not mute, the pains, she said.
Meanwhile, jobseekers can expect modest job gains in the finance, insurance and real-estate industries, the survey showed.
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