Taiwanese workers look to Asia for work

Taiwanese professionals continue to migrate to other Asian countries, exacerbating the existing skills shortage in their home market in 2013.

According to the 2013 Michael Page Salary & Employment Forecast for Taiwan, the majority of employers (69%) anticipated that their employees will look for career opportunities in other Asian countries and relocate for work in 2013.

While Hong Kong and Singapore remain popular, the majority of respondents (67%) identified China as the preferred destination for departing Taiwanese professionals.

As a result of this migration, more than half of survey respondents (58%) reported that they are expecting a skills shortage in the coming year. Some 55% of surveyed employers indicate the skills shortage will result in the development of more targeted attraction strategies to attract and retain staff.

“The major challenge for employers in Taiwan continues to be working to ensure they have the best employees with the right skills for their business. Employers will therefore be placing an enhanced focus on talent attraction strategies with the view to create more targeted offerings to entice employees to join their company,” said Chris Preston, Director of Michael Page in Taiwan.

Talent attraction strategies likely to be implemented include non-financial incentives such as career development opportunities and work-life balance options, however financial reward remains important, said Preston. He added that as more local professionals relocate to other Asian countries, talent attraction becomes even more of a focus.