Semiconductor firms boost hiring, broaden talent search: 104 Job Bank

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The semiconductor industry posted an average of 47,000 job openings per month in 2026, an increase of more than 20 percent from a year earlier, according to online job platform 104 Job Bank.

The share of listings open to applicants from all majors also rose by 2-3 percent during the period, the platform said in a talent report released Tuesday.

It said hiring demand in the industry is shifting from manufacturing operations toward factory construction support, machinery assembly and yield improvement as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to drive demand for greater production capacity.

The top job categories were production; quality control and occupational hygiene; operations, technical and maintenance work; and research and development, according to the report.

The report said workers capable of transferring technology between plants, sharing expertise and integrating systems will be key to improving the efficiency of capacity expansion.

It also said companies are increasingly seeking interdisciplinary talent with expertise in electronics, optics and materials science, making cross-departmental technological integration, communication and collaboration skills increasingly important.

Meanwhile, AI-related job openings in the industry averaged more than 10,000 per month, accounting for one in four openings and representing a 67 percent increase over the past five years, 104 said.

Weber Chung (鍾文雄), a manager at 104 Job Bank, said AI-related openings have increased rapidly since 2025, while the skills sought have expanded from research and development to areas including production, equipment, quality control and supply chain management.

As geopolitical risks drive the industry to expand overseas, Asian markets excluding China, Hong Kong and Macau remain the main destinations for overseas job postings. However, postings in the United States and Canada have greatly increased since 2025, indicating that while Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain remains deeply rooted in Asia, companies are expanding their operations into key North American markets, according to the report.

Job postings in Europe have also increased slightly, while postings in China, Hong Kong and Macau remained low, the report showed.

The top three positions for overseas assignments are semiconductor engineers, field application engineers and occupational safety management specialists, according to the report.