Taiwan’s job prospects are second best in the Asia-Pacific region and third best in the world, according to an employment outlook survey conducted by Manpower Inc.

After seasonal adjustment, staffing demand is expected to hit 33 percent in the second quarter of 2010, up as much as 39 percentage points over the same period last year, while marking the fourth quarter of consecutive growth.

“The turn around in the global economy, as well as the signing of the cross-strait memorandums of understanding and the upcoming economic cooperation framework agreement, contributed to the growth in employment demand,” said Terence Liu, general manager of Manpower Taiwan.

The strongest demand comes from the financial services sector at 40 percent, up 15 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. This includes banking, insurance, credit card services and investment personnel needed by employers in Taiwan.

Hiring demand in four of the five major industries in Taiwan—construction, biotechnology, electronics and agriculture and fisheries—also continued to rise. The one exception was the transportation and utilities sector.

The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey interviewed employers in 36 countries and regions around the world. Results show that respondents in 27 of 36 countries and regions plan to hire more staff.

The Asia-Pacific region presents the most positive outlook, with seven out of the ten top countries in staffing demand, namely, India, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China and New Zealand.

In Taiwan, 1,041 employers were interviewed. Thirty-eight percent of the respondents expected to increase manpower in the second quarter, with only 3 percent saying they would reduce staff numbers.

While nearly 60 percent of employers have no plans at the moment to hire, they are “previewing talent” to prepare for the progressively recovering economy in the second half of 2010.

Taiwan’s positive employment prospects came behind only those of India and Brazil.

In related news, 104 Job Bank Taiwan’s survey released March 9 showed that nearly 300,000 new jobs are available in March, a year-on-year increase of nearly 110,000 jobs and a 56-percent annual growth rate.

Industry-wise, financial services, semiconductors and metal-related manufacturing are the three strongest rebounding sectors, all of which have seen growth of more than 100 percent in staffing demand on a year-on-year basis, according to this survey. (TYH-THN)

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