Competitiveness

Today, a parent’s lament about his daughter earning ‘only’ NT$20,000 a month, despite speaking 5 languages has attracted lots of eyeballs and caused quite a stir over the Internet. This is but one of the many recent reports about the "pitiful state" of graduates in Taiwan.

The issue of graduates here earning "peanuts" compared to graduates in South Korea and Singapore has become a hotly debated matter these past few months. A couple of months ago, an article about a graduate from a prestigious university here earning an honest living as a butcher in Australia had also caused similar social uproar.

Well, my take on these issues is very simple: why stay and fight for a small and shrinking pie? Venture overseas! If the daughter mentioned above really does speak 5 languages (which according to the report includes English, German, French and Spanish), why the insistent on staying in Taiwan?? The world should be her oyster! Go to Hong Kong, Singapore or any other countries, where I’m sure the MNCs there are more than happy to pay her big bucks to have her language abilities at their disposal.

Frankly, I don't see any point in blaming the government and/or the corporations for not paying higher salaries to graduates. It is a simple matter of supply and demand, and unfortunately in Taiwan, the demand side holds all the cards. Other people are willing to work for NT$20K even if you don’t, so you can't blame companies in wanting to pay the barest minimum. In my opinion, if you want more than NT$20K, you should be willing to go to any countries whose companies are willing to pay more or you must be able to prove (to your employer) that you are worth more than that amount.