University graduates this year experienced the longest gap between graduation and employment in nine years, a survey showed yesterday.
The poll conducted by jobhunting Web site yes123 showed that graduates waited an average of 2.8 months, or 84 days, following graduation before securing a full-time job.
The number was slightly higher than last year’s average of 2.7 months, as well as 2.5 months in 2019.
The online survey randomly sampled 1,188 individuals above the age of 20 who are employed full-time.
Eighty-one percent of them said they had been subject to a period of trial employment, the study showed.
Of those, 70 percent underwent a three-month trial period, 15.6 percent had a one-month trial period and 9.8 percent received a two-week assessment, it showed.
The study showed that 60.6 percent completed the trial and were offered a full-time position.
Monthly salaries for first-time employees averaged NT$30,660 this year, 0.3 percent lower than the NT$30,749 recorded last year, the survey showed.
About 47 percent said that their trial-period salaries were on average 6 percent lower than full-time pay, at NT$28,804, while 53 percent of those who passed their trial period said that employers did not raise their salaries following their promotion to full-time positions, it showed.
The survey also sampled companies registered with the site, showing that the resignation rate of new employees was about 31 percent.
The top five reasons for resignation were employment responsibilities differing from expectations, parents disapproving of the occupation, inability to handle the designated workload, employers not providing growth opportunities and personal goals not being aligned with those of the company.
The survey was conducted between Oct. 6 and Monday last week.
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