Taiwan’s hiring momentum would hold steady in the fourth quarter, with more companies planning to expand headcounts than cut staff, even as technology firms turn more cautious, a survey released by ManpowerGroup Inc showed on Tuesday.
The poll of 630 local employers showed that 38 percent planned to add workers in the fourth quarter, while 21 percent expected reductions and 38 percent foresaw no change, resulting in a net employment outlook of 17 percent.
The healthcare and life sciences industry posted the strongest hiring sentiment at 46 percent, up 10 percentage points from the previous quarter, underscoring strains on the medical system from persistent labor shortages, the human resources advisory firm said.
.Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
The government is to add more than 500 public nursing positions this year and increase wages to boost retention, while hospitals have increased salaries for emergency and critical care specialists, with acute demand for neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists and neurologists, ManpowerGroup said.
Biotech and pharmaceutical companies are stepping up recruitment of scientists and engineers in advanced fields such as precision medicine, and cell and gene therapy, it said.
Financial and real-estate firms reported an employment outlook of 40 percent, a 16 percentage point jump from three months earlier, buoyed by regulatory initiatives and market expansion, the survey showed.
The launch of a trial asset management zone in Kaohsiung in July and the government’s wealth management push have triggered hiring across banks, securities firms and insurers, it said.
Lenders and brokerages are to add nearly 2,000 employees this quarter and next quarter, targeting wealth management consultants, high-net-worth account managers and investment advisers, it said.
Insurers are hiring cloud engineers, data analysts and artificial intelligence (AI) developers as online sales and travel insurance demand accelerate, it added.
Energy and utilities remain resilient with an outlook of 29 percent, although that was down 6 percentage points from last quarter, the survey showed.
The commercial launch of an offshore wind farm off Yunlin County is supporting job creation in engineering, project management and finance, while renewable energy and digital transformation projects are fueling demand for maintenance engineers and electromechanical designers, it said.
Technology was the weakest sector, with hiring intention tumbling 22 percentage points to just 3 percent, as employers have turned cautious amid global tech layoffs, supply-chain realignments and trade tensions, even though rapid AI adoption was sustaining demand for higher-value roles in research and development, cloud architecture and cybersecurity, ManpowerGroup said.
Several multinational firms are also scaling up their operations in Taiwan to support semiconductor, cloud and server businesses, suggesting that while the near-term picture is subdued, long-term prospects remain intact, it said.
Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) today unveiled a long-haul network expansion plan at a shareholders’ meeting in Taipei, including direct flights to Barcelona, Spain, and Zurich, Switzerland, as well as a service connecting Taipei, Sydney and New Zealand. Starlux is to become the first Taiwanese carrier to offer non-stop services to the two European cities, while the inaugural oceanic route is expected to expand transit opportunities within the Australia-New Zealand market, Starlux said. Flight services to Chicago, Dallas, Washington and New York are under evaluation, the airline added. Prior to the shareholders’ meeting, the airline earlier this year announced that it would be
Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV yesterday said that it is planning to hire an additional 1,000 people in Taiwan this year in response to growing demand from clients. ASML had previously planned to recruit 600 people this year, but that the plan has been adjusted upward, ASML vice president and ASML Taiwan general manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) told reporters. ASML has a workforce of more than 4,500 in Taiwan, accounting for about 10 percent of its global total, Wang said. This year’s recruitment campaign would focus on adding people in the customer support, manufacturing and supply chain domains to assist ASML
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
Nvidia Corp yesterday announced that CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) would attend an employee meeting in Taipei tomorrow to celebrate the launch of the company’s Taiwan headquarters project. Huang would attend a gathering at the site of Nvidia’s planned headquarters in Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區), the company said in a statement. After arriving in Taiwan on Saturday last week, Huang told reporters that he plans to meet with Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), and would attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters tomorrow. Nvidia has not yet applied
RSS