Hiring outlook in healthcare, life sciences industry strongest in Q3: Poll

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) The healthcare and life sciences industry showed the strongest hiring outlook among the major industries in Taiwan for the third quarter of this year, in the wake of continued manpower shortages as well as government efforts to promote long-term care to lift demand, according to the latest survey by human resources advisory firm ManpowerGroup.

After seasonal adjustments, Taiwan's overall net hiring outlook index from July to September stood at 19 percent, down from 20 percent in the previous quarter but up from 18 percent over the same period of last year, the survey found.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS), which reflects hiring confidence among employers, calculates the net hiring index by subtracting the percentage of employers anticipating a decline in the size of their workforce from the percentage expecting an increase.

In the survey, 36 percent of 628 employers polled said they expected to hire more people in the third quarter. Meanwhile, 16 percent said they anticipated a decline in hiring and 45 percent said their hiring plans remain unchanged.

This translated into a third quarter net employment outlook index of 20 percent before seasonal adjustments and 19 percent after seasonal adjustments, according to ManpowerGroup.

Among the nine major industries in Taiwan, ManpowerGroup said, the healthcare and life sciences industry recorded a net hiring score of of 41 percent in the third quarter, up 20 percentage points from a quarter earlier to demonstrate the highest hiring outlook.

ManpowerGroup said with Taiwan's healthcare segment facing a persistent manpower shortage, many hospitals have launched recruitment campaigns or are seeking to retain frontline medical personnel by offering more attractive compensation.

In addition, the government is set to officially kick off its long-term care 3.0 program in 2026 leading to increased demand for medical personnel such as nurses and home caregivers. Meanwhile, the biotech segment is accelerating the development of precision medicine and regenerative medicine, further boosting demand for talent, ManpowerGroup said.

The energy and utility industry came second with a net hiring outlook for the third quarter of 35 percent as many enterprises in Taiwan are gearing up to meet the net zero emissions goal, ManpowerGrroup said. However, the third quarter hiring outlook in the industry fell 19 percentage points from a quarter earlier, the survey found.

The net hiring outlook in the information technology segment stood at 29 percent in the third quarter, the third highest among the nine industries, but down 9 percentage points from a quarter earlier, the survey showed. ManpowerGroup said the growing popularity of artificial intelligence applications and booming semiconductor business continue to ensure a relatively high hiring outlook in the industry.

Of the seven economies in the ManpowerGroup survey from the Asia Pacific region, India had the highest net hiring outlook for the third quarter at 42 percent, ahead of China (28 percent), Singapore (24 percent), Australia (21 percent) and Taiwan (19 percent), while Hong Kong was at the bottom with 8 percent.

Among the 42 economies in the survey worldwide, ManpowerGroup said a total of 20 reported an expected increase in hiring in the third quarter, and 15 will cut hiring, according to the survey.