Demand for workers in Taiwan is expected to grow by 87,000 by late July, the highest estimated growth for the second quarter since 2012, a Ministry of Labor survey published on Tuesday said.
The rise is mostly to be in the manufacturing industry, which reported an expectation of 42,000 new workers, followed by the wholesale and retail sectors, which plan to hire a combined 14,000 additional staff members, the survey said.
The need for workers in the hospitality industry ranked third with an expected 8,000 new workers.
Photo: CNA
The reasons cited by enterprises for growing worker demand were business expansion or operation diversification (61.4 percent), and to fill vacancies arising from resignations and retirements (21.7 percent).
Nearly 52 percent of companies in the arts, entertainment and recreation industry cited “entering a peak season” as the main factor.
The survey was conducted from April 6 to April 22 among businesses with 30 or more employees to gauge their need for workers by the end of July. About 3,000 responses were collected.
The expected employment growth is likely attributable to businesses anticipating a strong rebound in private consumption during the summer, the ministry said, adding that consumer spending is forecast to rise steadily amid an expected decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, giving a boost to consumption and travel.
However, high inflation could reduce purchasing power, as the consumer price index last month rose 3.38 percent from a year earlier, the highest growth since August 2012 and the ninth consecutive month above the 2 percent alert level set by the central bank, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said on May 6.
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