Mainland maintains top destination for Taiwan's job hunters: Survey

TAIPEI -- The Chinese mainland remains the top destination for Taiwan's job seekers beyond the island, a survey revealed Thursday.

However, a growing number of people are returning from the mainland due to the rise of local talent and economic transition and industrial upgrading on the mainland, according to the survey by 104 Job Bank, the largest online recruiting service in Taiwan Thursday.

Taiwan's statistics authorities said that Taiwan had more than 420,000 people working on the mainland in 2015, 58 percent of all Taiwan workers off the island.

In the past three years, 120,000 to 130,000 people applied to work outside the island each year, of which about 100,000 went to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, according to 104 Job Bank.

A growing number of people are returning from the mainland in recent years, the survey showed.

"The rise of local talent and the influx of global talent have lowered the competitiveness of Taiwan workers," said Jason Chin, Senior Vice-President of 104 Job Bank.

Mainland's demands have also changed in recent years amid its economic transition, Chin added.

Most Taiwan people working on the mainland, with Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian and Zhejiang as the top five destinations, are in information and manufacturing industries, the survey showed. But more job offers are coming from the service sector with the rise of e-commerce and a shift from manufacturing to tertiary industries.

In 2016, job offers from the mainland in the catering industry surged 631 percent compared with 2008; in food and beverage manufacturing, such job vacancies rose 221 percent. The demand for Taiwan workers in marketing and software development on the mainland was also 80 percent more than nine years ago.

Job offers in these new areas provided opportunities for young people in Taiwan, said Chin.

More competition has also forced many Taiwan's job hunters to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The 104 Job Bank data showed that in 2016, 47,000 Taiwan job hunters said they were willing to work in Southeast Asian countries, the highest in three years. "Many Southeast Asian countries still rely on traditional manufacturing, where Taiwan's workers have more advantages," he said.

The survey also showed half of Taiwan's companies believed Taiwan workers were not fully prepared for the Southeast Asian market. For example, in language and the ability to adapt to new environment.