Optimism Grows The characteristically pessimistic Taiwanese consumer is slightly less gloomy, according to a pair of recent surveys. In a Cathay Financial Holding Co. survey, 26.7% of respondents said they think the economy will improve over the next six months, compared to 32.4% who said it would deteriorate. This is the most upbeat result the…
Where business has slowed, the main reason appears to be economic factors. Ever since Beijing angrily terminated official communications with Taiwan’s then newly installed Tsai Ing-wen government in June last year, political relations with China have plunged to their coolest point in nearly a decade. But the cross-Strait political chill over Taiwan’s unwillingness to accept a…
Exposure declines in China, though it remains an important market for serving Taiwanese SMEs. Taiwan has long suffered from a saturated domestic banking market, prompting its banks to foray abroad for new business opportunities. Under the administration of former President Ma Ying-jeou, banks took advantage of the cross-Strait detente to open numerous branches in China….
By nearly all measures, Taiwan’s economy is performing well. Exports – crucial drivers of growth – are up 12.5% through July in annual comparisons, according to data from the Bureau of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Equally important, so are export orders, an indicator of future sales, which rose in July…
Reversing a long-running brain drain will be an important step on the path to economic revival. James Grigbsy has spent the majority of his professional career in Taiwan. He worked as a consultant here for two decades, including 15 years as an executive with Getchee (originally known as Pacific GeoPro), a location intelligence firm that…
As part-time or short-term jobs become more common, Taiwan is considering legislation to regulate non-conventional employment. In Taiwan, as elsewhere across the globe, freelance and contingent work is on the rise as businesses shift their employment models away from the 9-to-5 jobs that have traditionally dominated labor markets. As of May 2016, according to survey…
Export Recovery Fuels Higher GDP Growth Optimism regarding Taiwan’s economy is rising alongside trade figures as the island continues to benefit from the ongoing recovery in the global economy. Nearly all of the local economic analytics firms have raised their forecasts for GDP growth for 2017, with Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top academic research institution, coming…
When I arrived in a vibrant Taipei at the end of 1990, the young professionals I met were upwardly mobile and full of hope. Learning English was all the rage, and they diligently studied English in their spare time. Since arriving in Taiwan, I have been a teacher, trainer, coach, and consultant. These jobs have…
Wikipedia defines a circular economy as a “regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy loops. This can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling.” In line with global trends, the Taiwan government is actively promoting…
The government is seeking to strengthen trade, investment, tourism, education, and cultural relations with South and Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia may be close to Taiwan geographically, but Taiwanese traditionally tended to see its people as little more than a source of cheap labor. Even in academia, says Edwin Yang, an instructor in the College of…
