Labor Crunch Sees Businesses Struggle To Fill Positions
Some 73% of Taiwanese businesses surveyed say they're struggling to fill jobs, leading many to search for tech solutions to fill in the gap.
Transcript
00:00 From fast food to AI, Taiwan's workplaces are struggling to find the workers they need.
00:06 A survey by HR firm Manpower Group found 73% of Taiwanese employers short-staffed and searching for employees.
00:13 That's only slightly better than the global average of 75%.
00:17 It's led companies to search for tech solutions to fill in the gap.
00:21 Take this McDonald's branch in Taiwan, which has introduced automated ordering kiosks in place of live servers.
00:27 Employees here say automation does have its place.
00:31 It's a trend. We can accept our products and change them.
00:36 We can't go backwards.
00:38 Welcome.
00:40 The government has been echoing that sentiment.
00:43 Digital transformation is a path that companies must follow.
00:47 We see that some companies are trying to survive or have better operations, so they use digital transformation.
00:55 But in many fields with labor shortages, machines can only do so much.
01:00 The most severe shortages are in fields that need human workers, and highly skilled ones at that.
01:06 These include IT and engineering.
01:08 And then there is the service sector.
01:10 Although automation may pose a threat to the traditional labor force,
01:16 we must not forget that the service industry values face-to-face communication to provide services.
01:24 And the worker shortage could get worse.
01:28 Manpower Group's survey also found that 70% of Taiwanese businesses are worried about an economic slowdown.
01:34 That could in turn mean less hiring and training, and an even bigger skills gap, something Taiwan can ill afford.
01:41 Dolphin Chan and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.
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