There has been a 25 percent increase in job openings in the technology and e-commerce industries over the past two years, while travel-related industries have seen a decline in vacancies of about 30 percent, a representative from job bank yes123 said yesterday.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there appears to have been a shift in the jobs available for recent graduates, the job bank said.
People born after the late 1990s could have an advantage when looking for opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud services and big data, while people with liberal arts degrees could consider opportunities in digital marketing, Web editing, the mobile payment sector and technology law, it said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the technology industry, as well as the stay-at-home economy and industries related to digital transformation, have been more welcoming of recent graduates over the past two years, yes123 assistant manager Yang Tsung-pin (楊宗斌) said.
On the other hand, the hospitality, tourism, hotel and aviation industries have had a relatively tough time, he said.
With the nation this year experiencing a major local outbreak of the disease, the tutor and realtor professions, which were previously popular among recent graduates, have also been negatively affected, he said.
Accordingly, there have been fewer job opportunities, he added.
Estimates show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities in the e-commerce and technology industries have grown by 25 percent, while the number of openings in businesses such as airlines and hotels have fallen by 30 percent, he said.
Yang said he believes that recent graduates with STEM degrees still possess an advantage over those with liberal arts degrees.
This year, due to people working or attending school remotely, top talent working in areas such as information security, artificial intelligence, cloud services or big data, or even software or electronics, have benefited, he said.
Students who are soon to graduate from college are digital natives, so they have an advantage, he said.
As last year’s college seniors might have postponed their graduation due to COVID-19, and other workers who were put on unpaid leave or let go would also be applying for jobs, students might expect a more competitive job market this summer, he added.
While job vacancies can be expected to increase after the end of the pandemic, young workers still face poor working conditions and low salaries, Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy managing director Alvin Chang (張育萌) said.
The Ministry of Labor should begin making plans to conduct a survey on the work environments of various industries, to provide guidance to high-risk industries on the management of environmental health and safety, and to offer incentives to businesses that want to recruit young workers after the pandemic is over, he said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS