The government is to loosen regulations and offer career-counseling and language-training services to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan for work, a Ministry of Education official said on May 9.
Under a new program called “Intense 2+2,” international students would also be eligible for full scholarships to pursue master’s degrees in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said, adding that new services for eligible students would include internship matching, Mandarin-language courses, vocational training and employment workshops.
The program is meant to introduce foreign talent into Taiwan’s science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductor and finance sectors.
The announcement came two months after the Ministry of Labor on March 20 said it would propose regulations to expand the jobs available for foreign students in Taiwan upon graduation.
The proposed amendments would change regulations on employment qualifications, skill requirements, and regulations on changing employers, the Central News Agency wrote, adding that Taiwan’s industries face a shortfall of 400,000 workers by 2030.
The amendments proposed by the ministries would eliminate some bureaucratic barriers for foreign students considering working in Taiwan following graduation, but what would be more important to such a consideration would be whether Taiwan’s industries could offer an attractive work environment.
Wages in Taiwan are significantly better than those in most of Southeast Asia — which might make it attractive to students from some countries — but tech jobs in Taiwan pay much less on average than those in the US. The average annual tech sector salary in Taiwan is roughly NT$800,000 (US$26,515), while the average in California is roughly US$65,000. Of course, the cost of living in California is higher, but financial considerations are only part of the equation.
Silicon Valley has the densest concentration of tech companies, much of the world’s top industry talent, a strong ecosystem for start-ups and abundant venture capital. Those things would be very important to many people starting a career in tech who would want to network with others in the industry.
For someone less interested in networking or entrepreneurship, Japan offers another attractive alternative to Taiwan, and Japan is facing a massive shortage of programmers and other IT workers amid an industry boom. Many tech jobs there do not even require Japanese-language skills.
Taiwan arguably has the competitive edge when it comes to jobs in semiconductors, given its strengths in the sector. Those interested in chip design, particularly chips intended for use with artificial intelligence (AI) applications, would find a supportive research environment in Taiwan, given the government’s growing focus on this area. President William Lai (賴清德) has said on numerous occasions that he plans to turn Taiwan into an “AI island,” and in March the Ministry of Digital Affairs launched the Enhanced AI Investment Startup Program, investing NT$10 billion from the National Development Fund to support unlisted AI start-ups.
While Taiwan might struggle to attract or retain talent in engineering or finance, given its lack of global prominence in these sectors, it might have success in keeping mathematics talent. Taiwanese tend to perform well in mathematics, and there are 124 universities nationwide, as well as the Academia Sinica, offering plenty of opportunities. The need for those researchers would grow alongside growth in Taiwan’s semiconductor and AI sectors.
In its efforts to encourage international students to develop their careers in Taiwan, the government should capitalize on Taiwan’s strengths. It would also be of benefit to bolster collaborations with international firms and research institutions, providing greater networking opportunities for those who want to stay and work. Such exchanges would facilitate the advancement of research, benefiting all parties involved, while making Taiwan a more attractive place to work.
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