Taiwan to recruit semiconductor talent from Southeast Asian countries

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) As 2024 unfolds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has drawn plans to recruit semiconductor professionals from overseas by organizing talent-seeking missions to several Southeast Asian countries in the months ahead, according to officials in the MOEA's Industrial Development Administration (IDA).

Similar to last year, delegations composed of company representatives will visit the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, but on this occasion not Singapore, in response to calls from academia-government-industry to recruit and groom IC design, assembly and test talent for the domestic semiconductor industry, which is experiencing an acute talent shortage, IDA officials said.

A delegation will head to the Philippines in March, followed by others to Malaysia and Indonesia in June, and Vietnam in September, they added.

ASE Technology Holding Co. and Powertech Technology Inc. have signed up for the group to the Philippines, which in recent years has been a major overseas talent source for the two assembly and test companies.

Malaysia has also become a major target eyed by Taiwanese talent seekers because of its Chinese ethnic community and a relatively high number of university students studying in Taiwan, while Vietnam has caught Taiwanese companies' attention because of its ambition to cultivate IC design talent, they explained.

Singapore has been skipped this year owing to pronounced workplace differences, according to the officials, who said Singaporean professionals prefer to work at local plants set up by MediaTek Inc. and United Microelectronics Corp. for higher monthly salaries and other benefits, rather than coming to Taiwan.

In addition to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and ASE, the officials noted, other leading semiconductor companies, such as MediaTek Inc., United Microelectronics Corp., Phison Electronics Corp., and Realtek Semiconductor Corp, recruited a total of 316 people to work or study in Taiwan following their first tours to the five Southeast Asian countries in 2023.