A recent survey shows over 90% of 2023 university graduates prefer joining the workforce right away over pursuing advanced degrees. The survey comes as Taiwan welcomes the first batch of graduates born in 2001 to the workforce this year.
Local job bank Yes123 surveyed over 1,200 university graduates. The results released on Friday shows the top three industries graduates want to enter are hospitality, informational technology, and finance.
90% represents the highest percentage in four years, and 67% of these graduates have already started job hunting. The survey also shows the average monthly salary graduates expect is around NT$32,000, which is around US$1,067. This number represents the highest figure in 10 years.
Yes123 spokesperson Yang Tsung-pin (楊宗斌) says the high percentage of graduates preferring to enter the workforce indicates that people are valuing work experience more than advanced degrees. Yang also says there are more job openings for industries that were impacted by the border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He says those employers are heavily recruiting graduates because they are still experiencing a staff shortage.