Many companies in Taiwan have decided to stop hiring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the situation isn’t completely dire: a new survey by a Taiwanese job bank has found that 62% of companies are still hiring as normal.
Recent graduates looking for a job are in a bit of a tight spot this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has schools canceling career fairs and companies scaling back plans to take on new workers. But a new survey by Taiwanese job search site 1111 Job Bank shows that for 62% of companies, the pandemic hasn’t changed willingness to hire.
For new graduates, the catch may be a slightly lower starting salary than they might otherwise expect to get. The survey found that the average starting monthly salary for fresh recruits now stands at NT$28,106 (US$939). That’s a 0.69% drop from the average the job bank recorded in its previous survey.
COVID-19’s biggest impact has been on the way people are finding jobs. Students, in particular, can no longer rely on career fairs, which have been canceled in a time of social distancing. Online is the way to go, and that extends to job interviews as well. To help students land a job, universities are offering training on online interview skills, an increasingly necessary skill set to have.