Talent shortage escalates in Taiwan's high-tech industries

Taipei, April 11, 2005 (CENS)--Talent shortage will top 20,000 people in Taiwan's high-tech industries between 2005 and 2007, according to studies recently done by the government's think tanks.

The Cabinet-level Science and Technology Advisory Group recently released the studies done by the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Institute for Information Industry (III) and Development Center for Biotechnology.

According to the studies, strained talent supplies will fuel talent raiding among Taiwan's high-tech industries over the next three years.

Taiwan's six major high-tech industrial segments—semiconductor, image display, telecommunications, information-service, biotechnology and digital content—will need a total of 117,500 talents over the next three years and demands for talents with degree over mastership will apparently increase. Graduates from National Taiwan University, National Tsinghua University, National Chiao Tung University and National Cheng Kung University will remain the favorite choices for the island's high-tech enterprises.

ITRI's study indicates that Taiwan's semiconductor industry will need a total of 37,500 talents over the next three years, far more than the estimated 21,800 specialists the island's educational system can supply in the meantime. The shortage gap can be narrowed to 1,200 people after luring overseas talents and filling with talents in military alternative service. IC design engineers, advanced process engineers and PCB design engineers are the top three positions that will see the largest number of shortage.

The biotechnology development center pointed out that local biotechnology industry will not see talent shortage until 2007 and the supply-demand gap will amount to 200-some people at that time. The center indicated that the industry usually stresses talent quality instead of talent quantity and particularly welcomes specialists with rich experiences, making it a high-tech industry presenting least talent shortage.

Between 2005 and 2007, Taiwan's image-display industry will be hit by a shortage of 2,400 talents with its total demand of 26,000 talents, according to ITRI. The institute's study shows that educational system will be able to supply only 16,300 specialists. Experts with degree over mastership will be needed the most. In this industry, the most urgently needed talents are circuit-layout engineers, process-integration engineers and test engineers.