Hiring demand to increase in Q2: survey

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Demand for workers will increase in export-oriented Taiwan in the second quarter because of the booming electronics industry, according to the Ministry of Labor (MOL).

Citing a survey conducted Jan. 11-29, the MOL anticipated an increase in net hiring demand -- equal to planned hires minus expected departures -- of 50,000 people in the April-June period compared to the first quarter.

The increase was the highest for the second quarter since 2012, when net hiring demand grew by around 55,000 people, the MOL said in a statement.

Mei Chia-yuan (梅家瑗), head of the MOL's statistics department, said in the statement that Taiwanese exporters, in particular in the electronics sector, have gotten a boost from heavy global demand for emerging technologies such as 5G applications and automotive electronics and devices related to the booming stay-at-home economy.

In addition, old economy industries have also started to recover from slowdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking to add manpower, Mei said.

As a result, an increase in net hiring demand in the manufacturing sector in the second quarter topped that of other sectors at 27,000 people, including 5,000 in the electronics component sector, 3,000 in metal businesses and 2,000 in the machinery sector, the MOL said.

Net hiring demand also increased in the retail/wholesale sector and the hospitality/food and beverage sectors by 6,000 and 3,000, respectively, in the quarter, the MOL said.

The survey found that 69.2 percent of respondents said they will need a larger workforce to expand their businesses or diversify their operations.

Another 12 percent said they have suffered long-term labor shortages, and 11.8 percent said they will make new hires to fill vacancies resulting from departures.

According to the MOL, the survey collected 3,040 valid questionnaires of employers with workforces of 30 people or more.