Why do many young Taiwanese choose to work abroad?      

     According to a survey from the Ministry of Labor, 46% of Taiwanese youth struggle to find jobs at first, and among them there are 20.3% who opt to work abroad. For the most part, people promises to have greater opportunities to seek happiness and fulfillment in their careers. Nowadays, higher salaries, better opportunities, and personal goals influence Taiwanese youth’s preference for working abroad.

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     First of all, many young Taiwanese choose to work overseas because of the high payment. In Taiwan, the monthly minimum wage is relatively low, and the wage growth increases slowly. As a result, more young Taiwanese choose to seek job opportunities in Vietnam, Singapore or other Southeast Asian countries due to the high salaries and promising future. The high salaries from overseas companies may become a strong motivation for them to challenge themselves, even if it means sacrificing their local career. These opportunities also help Taiwanese talents connect with global employers. Consequently, the high salaries make Taiwanese youths view working abroad as a more rewarding and hopeful path for their bright future.   

   

     Next, better opportunities are another major reason for Taiwanese youths working abroad. In some of the local companies, employees’ ability restricted at work due to mandates from senior staff or company regulations. In the traditional and rigid companies in Taiwan, senior staff may order the interns to complete the work they don’t want to deal with or assign them to cope with the work they don’t need to follow. So, many young people feel that their potential is wasted in such an environment. Even worse, they feel that they have less freedom compared to seniors in those old-fashioned enterprises. Therefore, they assume working overseas will support their growth in their professional fields, especially for those who work in art and fashion industries. For this reason, they often choose to take the risks in pursuing their career overseas.   

     

     Last but not least, in my opinion, personal consideration and growth, hoping to expand their horizons, also influence teens to choose to work abroad. A public relations manager from Job Bank also pointed out that work abroad has significantly helped with language skills and global exposure. Take my friend as an example. My friend loves anime and manga so he decided to find a job in Japan to improve his professional skills and Japanese. In other words, most of the young Taiwanese decide to work overseas to gain valuable international experience and to learn more about other traditional cultures. What’s more, some Taiwanese also think of returning to Taiwan after working overseas since overseas experience may be an attractive option for Taiwanese enterprises.  

     

     Taiwanese youths are drawn to working aboard not only because of the opportunity itself but also satisfy them with high wages, more chances, and personal growth. As globalization expands, working overseas has become an increasingly appealing option for the youth to seek growth and experiences. Therefore, I strongly believe that there will be more people choosing to work abroad in future due to their high payments, abundant opportunities and personal aspirations.