Despite rising unemployment, Taiwan's high-tech sector is suffering from a shortage of talent, a problem that is compounded by the increase in the number of new colleges stressing business and humanities majors, TSU lawmakers said yesterday.
They called for a prompt overhaul of programs provided by domestic educational institutes, saying talent will play a crucial role in helping the nation transform itself into a knowledge-based economy.
"The Ministry of Education should take steps to bridge the gap between supply and demand in the job market," TSU Legislator Chen Cheng-lung (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
He said that the increase in the number of schools in recent years has not helped satisfy local companies' demand for senior engineers and technicians. Rather, their existence has helped drive up unemployment rates by churning out social science and humanity majors who have difficulty finding a job after graduation.
Twenty-six colleges and universities were established between 1998 and last year, while unemployment rose from 2.69 to 4.51 percent during the same period.
The TSU legislator linked the development to the fact that many academic institutes are unwilling to spend money on offering technology and science courses and prefer to open more profitable classes in humanities and commerce.
"An analysis of corporate manpower demand and job offers for fresh graduates shows that the supply of high-level technological personnel falls short of demand by an average of 31,000 people per year," he said.
A recent study by the Council for Economic Planning and Development indicates that the shortfall of senior engineers, technicians and management executives will hit 44,000 a year for the following decade.
Meanwhile, the low-level work force will suffer a shortage of 226,000 workers per year during the same period, with the surplus of medium-level manpower expected to exceed 55,000, the research shows.
"The Ministry of Education is to blame for this severe imbalance in manpower supply and demand," Chien-Lin said. "The ministry's failure to consult with economic and financial authorities has resulted in the snag over the years."
The legislator went on to say that the ministry should take into account economic development when mapping out the nation's education policy.
"Rather than focus on controlling how many students may go to college, the ministry should take steps to shape the programs provided by their departments," Chien-Lin said.
Chen Chien-ming, on the other hand, said the government should refrain from recruiting professional personnel from abroad, because such moves may dampen local people's job opportunities.
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