Hiring activity might gain momentum next quarter as employers from all sectors have expressed the strongest hiring intention in six quarters, a survey by human resources firm ManpowerGroup Inc found yesterday.
The nation’s employment outlook posted a net gain of 23 percent for the first quarter next year after seasonal adjustments, 2 percentage points higher than a year earlier, said the survey, which polled 1,095 local employers.
The results made Taiwan one of the two best performers in the Asia-Pacific region and ranked it third globally.
Companies of different sizes are looking to expand their payrolls, with large corporations more active than small businesses, the quarterly survey said.
The economy is forecast to grow 2.58 percent next year, driven mainly by 5G deployment, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things applications, ManpowerGroup said, citing government data.
The Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays, as well as next year’s Tokyo Olympics, would help increase business for local firms in the global supply chains of consumer electronics and sports brands, the company said.
“The hiring prospect looks positive, with all employers voicing intentions to add staff in the first quarter,” ManpowerGroup Taiwan general manager Allen Ng said.
The outlook is brightest for mining and construction sectors, as 33 percent of firms aim to raise their headcount in the first quarter next year, a considerable increase of 14 percentage points from this year, it said.
The climate in the service sector also appears fair, with an employment reading of 32 percent, it said.
The wholesale and retail sectors reported an outlook of 28 percent, 11 percentage points higher than the first quarter this year, it added.
The reading for the financial, insurance and real-estate sectors stood at 26 percent, an increase of 7 percentage points, the company said.
About 21 percent of companies in the manufacturing sector plan to add more workers, the strongest reading in the past five quarters, it said.
The outlook for the transportation and utilities sectors is relatively tepid at 12 percent, while it is just 9 percent for hotel and restaurant operators, the survey found.
The first quarter is the slow season for hospitality establishments, as many Taiwanese travel abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday and refrain from spending afterward, the company said.
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