Transformations of employment and occupation patterns in Taiwan's transition to an information society

Abstract

This study investigates the employment and occupation patterns that have emerged as Taiwan has evolved into an information society. The study shows that the unemployment problem that arose after Taiwan's transformation to an information society is closely related to the inability of information-intensive industries (particularly information-intensive manufacturing) to absorb the labor released from labor-intensive industries. Second, the changing trends in occupation structure under the transformation to an information economy have made Taiwan's labor market unbalanced, benefiting workers who are more highly skilled in information, are more professional, and have higher levels of education. This state of unbalance negatively affects inequality and bias in the labor market.

Keywords:

• ICTs
• information economy
• information society
• informatization
• labor market
• employment
• unemployment
• occupation structure

Notes

^1. According to Camarata and Krikorian (1999), the term “white-collar” refers to the sum of managerial, professional, specialty, technical, sales, and administrative support occupations. The term “blue-collar” refers to the sum of precision production, craft, and repair occupations. With regard to the categorizing of white-collar and blue-collar workers by the directorate for General Budget, Accounting, and Statistics, R.O.C., the white-collar workers include: business executives and managers, professionals, technicians, associate professionals, clerks, service workers, and sales. Blue-collar workers include labor workers and production machine operators.

^2. The term “unemployment rate”, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics, R.O.C., refers to the percentage of unemployed in the entire labor force. The entire labor force refers to people who are over 15 years old and have the capacity to work. The unemployed refer to people who: 1) have no work; 2) can work right away; and 3) are now looking for a job. Moreover, people who have found jobs but are still waiting to start working are also incorporated in the unemployed.

^3. This paper uses a correlation analysis to test the relationship between informatization and unemployment. However, correlation has some limitations: It is incapable of explaining nonlinear relationships, and is easily influenced by outliers. Moreover, correlation can only explain the relationship between two variables at one time.

^4. Relevant indicators such as computer ownership and Internet use rates in Taiwanese businesses are lacking.

^5. Relevant indicators such as computer ownership and Internet use rates in Taiwanese businesses are lacking.