As salaries stagnate while commodity prices continue to rise, more than 60 percent of Taiwanese said they were interested in working abroad in countries that pay higher wages, with Australia, Canada and Japan being the most favored destinations, a survey by yes123 Job Bank showed.
The poll showed that 61 percent have considered working abroad in countries such as Australia and Canada, even as laborers or junior employees, where the pay is more than triple the hourly wage offered in Taiwan.
Commenting on the survey, Yang Shun-chin (楊舜欽), yes123 Job Bank public relations deputy chairman, said the labor-importing countries favored by Taiwanese were those that provided higher salaries, in particular Australia, Canada and Japan
Moreover, the average hourly wage in the three countries was NT$350, or about three times that of Taiwan, with board and lodging sometimes included, Yang said.
Yang added that Taiwan was a key high-end labor exporter to nations such as China, South Korea and Singapore, which not only recruit senior personnel from Taiwan, but also junior workers, aggravating the country’s “brain drain” situation and raising concerns over the nation’s global competitiveness.
After having spent two years on a working-holiday program in Australia, a 31-year-old surnamed Ko (柯) said the idea of working abroad stemmed from hopes of gaining various life experiences while still young.
Ko, who worked eight hours a day, five days a week in a coffee shop in Australia, said wages there were relatively high, with an hourly pay rate equivalent to NT$420 and her monthly salary after taxes amounting to NT$61,160.
However, after returning to work in Taiwan, Ko said her monthly income shrank to about NT$30,000 and she cannot save much, adding that she would consider working overseas again.
Another person, surnamed Chang (張), who participated in a working-holiday program in Australia and New Zealand for 10 months, said earning money in the two countries was relatively easy because wages tended to be much higher than in Taiwan, even for jobs that demanded similar skills.
Despite higher transportation and food costs, Chang said expenditures were about the same as in Taiwan, provided one cooked at home.
The poll was conducted from March 16 through Friday and had 2,708 valid responses.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff writer
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