First-time jobseekers are more pessimistic about employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 9 percent year-on-year reduction in those looking to enter the job market after graduation, a survey released by the online 1111 Job Bank (1111人力銀行) showed.
The survey, which collected 984 valid questionnaires from March 2 to March 26, showed that 63.7 percent of respondents said they plan to enter the job market after graduating this summer.
That figure is almost 9 percentage points lower than 72.5 percent of people who responded in a similar survey conducted last year before COVID-19 broke out at the end of December in China and quickly spread worldwide, hitting the economy at home and abroad.
The survey showed that 55.2 percent said they want to land a full-time job and 8.5 percent are looking for part-time work.
Among respondents who are not planning to enter the job market immediately after graduating, most want to continue their studies, prepare for civil servant examinations, enlist in the military or stay at home to help their families, the survey showed.
1111 Job Bank president Henry Ho (何啟聖) said the virus has affected businesses, with the tourism, food and beverage, and retail sectors hit hardest, so hiring in the local job market has been compromised.
These would-be new graduates have sensed the economic impact from the pandemic, so many expect to land a part-time job first before securing full-time employment when economic fundamentals improve, he said.
Among first-time jobseekers who want to participate in the market, only 16 percent were upbeat about finding a job before graduation, while 84 percent expect to spend an average of 4.2 months looking for a job, the survey showed.
The job bank said that COVID-19 has also affected first-time jobseekers’ plans to work overseas, with 29.2 percent of those who had previously planned to look for a job in a foreign market postponing their plans, while Japan, the US and China are the top three destinations.
The information technology industry is the most popular sector for first-time jobseekers, followed by education groups and government agencies, the job bank said.
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