The number of job openings reached a record high of 1.02 million this month, as local firms are building talent pools to avoid staff shortages when the economy regains momentum, online human resources consultancy 104 Job Bank (104人力銀行) said yesterday.
The new job openings come amid global monetary tightening intended to curb inflationary pressures that are casting a shadow over Taiwan’s exports, the Taipei-based organization said.
“Taiwan looks unlikely to hold the 4 percent mark in GDP growth this year, but the situation fails to weigh on hiring activity,” the job bank said, adding that job offers have since July exceeded 1 million and outperformed the level before the number of COVID-19 cases increased in April.
Photo: Lo Hsin-chen, Taipei Times
The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by another 0.75 percentage points on Thursday to tame inflation, and Taiwan’s central bank is likely to follow the same day with a 0.125 percentage point adjustment, moves that would cool demand for goods and services, analysts have said.
The talent gap is sharpest at Taiwanese electronics, information, software and semiconductor companies, which need to fill 189,000 positions despite predictions of inventory surpluses, the job bank said.
As critical talent is difficult to find, industries are hiring now to attract skilled workers, it said.
Vacancies have reached 177,000 among wholesale operators, retailers, restaurants, hotels and recreational facilities, as service-oriented businesses emerge from the waning COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
To ease talent shortages, local companies have embraced automation, raising the number of artificial intelligence-linked job vacancies to 22,000 this quarter, suggesting a 72 percent increase from 13,000 five years ago, it said.
Candidates with degrees in the humanities and social sciences are in demand in the semiconductor industry, as are former soldiers and those with athletic skills, the job bank said.
Former soldiers under the age of 40 are sought in the industry as they adapt well to rotating shift schedules and become reliable entry-level and maintenance engineers, it said.
Those who enjoy sports are also promising candidates because their sense of discipline makes them fit for positions that require precision and consistency, it said.
Firms that are serious in recruiting talent need to devise competitive compensation and bonus schemes, it said, adding that Taiwan’s low birthrate has created additional difficulties for recruiters.
To many, Tatu City on the outskirts of Nairobi looks like a success. The first city entirely built by a private company to be operational in east Africa, with about 25,000 people living and working there, it accounts for about two-thirds of all foreign investment in Kenya. Its low-tax status has attracted more than 100 businesses including Heineken, coffee brand Dormans, and the biggest call-center and cold-chain transport firms in the region. However, to some local politicians, Tatu City has looked more like a target for extortion. A parade of governors have demanded land worth millions of dollars in exchange
Hong Kong authorities ramped up sales of the local dollar as the greenback’s slide threatened the foreign-exchange peg. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) sold a record HK$60.5 billion (US$7.8 billion) of the city’s currency, according to an alert sent on its Bloomberg page yesterday in Asia, after it tested the upper end of its trading band. That added to the HK$56.1 billion of sales versus the greenback since Friday. The rapid intervention signals efforts from the city’s authorities to limit the local currency’s moves within its HK$7.75 to HK$7.85 per US dollar trading band. Heavy sales of the local dollar by
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) revenue jumped 48 percent last month, underscoring how electronics firms scrambled to acquire essential components before global tariffs took effect. The main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp reported monthly sales of NT$349.6 billion (US$11.6 billion). That compares with the average analysts’ estimate for a 38 percent rise in second-quarter revenue. US President Donald Trump’s trade war is prompting economists to retool GDP forecasts worldwide, casting doubt over the outlook for everything from iPhone demand to computing and datacenter construction. However, TSMC — a barometer for global tech spending given its central role in the
An Indonesian animated movie is smashing regional box office records and could be set for wider success as it prepares to open beyond the Southeast Asian archipelago’s silver screens. Jumbo — a film based on the adventures of main character, Don, a large orphaned Indonesian boy facing bullying at school — last month became the highest-grossing Southeast Asian animated film, raking in more than US$8 million. Released at the end of March to coincide with the Eid holidays after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the movie has hit 8 million ticket sales, the third-highest in Indonesian cinema history, Film
RSS