Lai Wen Chun (賴文正), 31, university police guard
All of the information available says that unemployment is a serious problem. I feel the pressure and will continue to work this job because now it is so difficult to find other jobs ? My children's tuition fees as well as my mortgage also must be paid.
PHOTO: CHUANG CHI-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
I keep a close watch on job advertisements in the classifieds to see what kinds of jobs are out there, just in case I want to go somewhere else in the future.
PHOTO: CHUANG CHI-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
Politicians in Taiwan care most about elections and lack long-term blueprints for the island's future. Many policies are purely impractical lip service ? the government says there will be more public engineering projects to create job opportunities, but we have yet to see any concrete details for these projects.
Lo Hsiou-chi (駱孝志), 30, optometrist and salesman
PHOTO:PHOTO: CHUANG CHI-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
Like myself, most of my friends have professional skills that can't easily be replaced. But I don't feel that the unemployment problem is that serious, especially in the service industry.
PHOTO: CHUANG CHI-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
Some people may suffer more because there are too many people available with the same skills. Anyway, to assure myself of a steady income I will find my next position before handing in my resignation.
The government has oversimplified the resolution to the unemployment issue ... Cutting down foreign labors does not really help because Taiwanese will not accept low wages that make it impossible to make ends meet.
PHOTO: CHUANG CHI-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
Yen Yi-ting (顏依婷), 17, student and part-time worker
The unemployment problem appears serious, especially for older workers. Still, I am more concerned with what job I will find ? certainly a job that only pays NT$19,000 is not something I would stay with for long. But I'm concerned over whether I have the professional skills the market requires.
Unemployment has become a widespread problem partly because the quality of the current labor force cannot keep pace with industrial needs.
I am saving money for cram school to pass the college entrance exam.
Will Taiwan fall apart if the government fails to stabilize the precarious economic situation? I will worry more about this question after I graduate.
Chuang Kun-shan (莊坤山) 50, cab driver
My friends and I are all afraid of losing our jobs because of the financial crisis it would bring to our families. But the possibility that I would lose my job as a cab driver is pretty small.
On the other hand, from what I observe, the cab driving population has been on the increase in recent years as more and more individuals have decided or been forced to leave their previous jobs.
I have to work about 12 hours a day now to cope with the competition from other cab drivers. The unemployed should be realistic though, sometimes you have no choice but to change jobs and do work you are not familiar with. The government should also fight against corruption and strengthen the social security system.
Liu Mu-shan (劉慕珊), 24, preparing for national exams.
One reason I have studied hard for the exam is because obtaining the certificate basically guarantees me a stable livelihood, free of the threat of unemployment.
A friend of mine, who pays for her study in Japan, constantly warns me about the unemployment crisis. We used to giggle all day and enjoy tea, but now she is in a difficult situation because her father's construction business is having difficulty. More people are competing in the national exams because government posts are more secure.
Escalating unemployment is also a problem overseas. But people in other countries with better social security for the unemployed panic less... while in Taiwan there seems to be no consensus for increasing funds for social welfare.
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