Taiwan Expected to See Number of High-echelon Female Employees Break 100,000 in 2013

In Taiwan the number of high-echelon female employees including managers, directors, and executives reached 98,000 in 2012, sharply rose by 46.3% from the corresponding 67,000 recorded in 2003; in contrast, the number of male counterparts declined by 35,000 to 324,000, according to the statistics released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics (DGBAS).

In 2013 the number of female employees in managerial level is very likely to break 100,000. L. M. Chin, vice president of 104 Job Bank, a popular job site in Taiwan, indicates that the rapid growth of service industry has helped boost up the number of female employees at high echelons in the job market because such service sectors as restaurants, boutiques, department stores, retailing & wholesale, traveling, health care, etc. prefer hiring female workers.

In 2012 the ratio of male workers against female workers stood at 100 : 79 and the ratio in 2003 at 100 : 70. In the same period the average monthly pay of female employees increased by 10% to NT$40,709 (US$1,357), about 81% of that of male.

DGBAS statistics show that the employed population of service industry in 2012 came to 6.381 million persons, increased by 16.4% from the corresponding figure of 2003 and accounted for 58.9% of the total employed on the island, already exceeding the percentage of manufacturing sector.

In the same year the production value of service industry took a lion's share of near 70% of the gross domestic products (GDP), far higher than 24.4% of the manufacturing industry.

However, female managers or executives seem to face heavier pressure as they carry both family and working place burden. So, some psychological counselors suggest that higher-echelon female employees should find ways to relax from pressure and know how to better control their time and emotion and tolerate mess situations and imperfect results. (JL)