The government is to recruit college-educated workers from abroad to meet a rising demand for labor, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said in an interview published yesterday.
The council’s projections show that 350,000 unfilled job openings are expected by 2028, while demographics indicate that the workforce would only grow by 150,000, Liu told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times).
That would result in a labor shortage of 200,000 workers for 80,000 blue-collar jobs and 120,000 high-skill jobs, he said, adding that the council’s overseas recruitment strategy is designed to tackle the latter.
Photo: Chang Chia-juei, Taipei Times
Starting next year, the council would launch three offices to recruit Taiwanese tech workers employed in San Francisco’s Silicon Valley and in Los Angeles, he said.
For many overseas Taiwanese, a job in Taiwan means greater opportunities for advancement and a chance to take care of their parents, Liu said.
The council is to help Tainan, Taitung County and Hualien County-based businesses recruit from the world’s 35 million digital nomads, who on average earn NT$2 million (US$62,547) a year, he said, adding that talks with local governments were ongoing.
A council analysis of LinkedIn user data showed that Bengaluru, India, has one of the world’s highest concentrations of tech workers engaged in artificial intelligence (AI)-related fields, making the city a priority, Liu said.
The council’s recruitment efforts there would start in November, he said.
Projects to import skilled workers from foreign countries are a partial solution to Taiwan’s labor shortage, he said, adding that productivity must be improved in industries from services to manufacturing.
Introducing AI and other digital technologies would be key to that process, he said.
All students should have access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, including those who do not specialize in a STEM field, to improve job prospects and encourage technology use in other sectors, he said.
Workforce retraining programs are being created to improve the digital skills of people who already have jobs, Liu added.
The government would tackle the nation’s long-term workforce shortage by increasing supply and reducing demand, he said.
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