After implementing a hiring freeze in 2023, TSMC has unveiled plans to restart recruitment, aiming to hire 6,000 engineers and technicians in 2024 to address the escalating talent needs for expansion projects at home and abroad.
Under TSMC's roadmap, the commencement of operations for the 2nm and below processes at the Baoshan Phase 2 in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, by the end of 2024 is anticipated to generate approximately 2,500 job openings. New graduate engineers possessing a master's degree are expected to get an average annual pay exceeding NT$2 million, and students participating in the company's summer internship program will have the chance to secure pre-employment offers for full-time positions.
The announcement of TSMC's 6,000 job opportunities for 2024 was made during the recently concluded campus job fair held at the National Taiwan University (NTU), where participating companies collectively presented 25,000 job openings.
A survey conducted by a job bank revealed a surge in starting salaries for new employees in 2024 compared to 2023, attributed to the impact of escalating commodity prices. Notably, individuals with a bachelor's degree saw an 8% increase in starting salaries, while those with a master's degree experienced a 5% rise.
Data sourced from universities and submitted to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan indicated that university departments closely associated with semiconductors, such as electrical engineering, electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, and optoelectronics engineering, witnessed a substantial number of graduates in 2023. NTU alone produced 592 graduates from its master's programs in relevant fields, with an additional 1,870 master's students set to graduate within the next two years.
In 2023, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Cheng Kung University collectively graduated 662 master's students in electronics and electrical engineering, boasting a total enrollment of 3,140 master's students in these disciplines. Since most master's students will graduate and enter the workforce within two years, prominent companies like TSMC and MediaTek are poised to attract a considerable number of top university graduates in Taiwan as long as their salary offerings remain competitive.
Academic sources underscore a significant salary gap in Taiwan's semiconductor industry based on educational background, prompting a surge in enrollment in master's programs, particularly in fields such as electronics, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. The majority of students pursue master's degrees primarily to secure lucrative employment opportunities, with only a minority harboring a genuine interest in academic research.
