The Robert Walters digital Salary Survey 2025 was released by Robert Walters in cooperation with the ECCT at a Premium Event lunch. At the event, John Winter, Country Manager of Robert Walters Taiwan, gave a presentation summarising the main findings of the survey.

Read the full report.

Read the press release.

Looking at regional trends, hiring trends in China, including Hong Kong, were conservative in 2024, due to the economic slowdown. According to the survey, 42% of professionals in China lack confidence in the job market recovery. In Japan, the market has been affected by the government’s labour market reforms, labour shortages, rising wages and digital transformation. Severe labour shortages in Japan have given job seekers there strong bargaining power. In South Korea, the job vacancy rate has been decreasing for five consecutive quarters, influenced by rising interest rates, weak business sentiment, and currency pressures. In Southeast Asia, rising living costs and household debt are reducing consumer purchasing power, which is increasing operational costs for organisations, and prompting professionals to demand higher salaries. However, strong demand in the technology, e-commerce, manufacturing, and logistics sectors continues to drive a robust need for top talent in these countries.

In Taiwan in 2024, the economic slowdown, geopolitical tensions, and shifting consumer behaviours led to uncertainty. As a consequence, only 35% of professionals surveyed expressed confidence in the job market. In 2025, it is expected that Taiwan's ageing society will deepen talent shortages, prompting companies to prioritise age-diverse hiring strategies. In addition, companies are addressing talent shortages by prioritising skills development and internal training to create a more adaptable workforce. 92% of employers indicate plans to adapt their strategies by enhancing learning and development programmes, expanding entry criteria, and engaging specialist recruitment firms to create a more inclusive hiring framework.

Another trend is AI and machine learning driving digital transformation, which is boosting demand for skilled professionals and cybersecurity experts. The talent gap is also driving new trends in the job market. Cross-industry movements and a growing demand for returning overseas candidates are on the rise. In addition, Taiwan's 2050 net zero goal has boosted demand for talent in green energy, sustainability, and environmental management as industries adapt to new regulations.

In terms of compensation, salaries are expected to remain fairly stable for those who stay in their jobs, with inflation taken into account. However, job movers with in-demand skills are likely to receive up to 5-20% pay increments, depending on the sector, company and position. Based on survey results, 87% of employers plan to give their employees pay increases of less than 10% while 67% of professionals expect to receive a pay increase.

In terms of hiring plans, 9% of employers plan to increase permanent headcount by 10% or more in 2025, while 43% of employers plan to increase headcount by 5-10% (33% of employers will keep headcount as is). As for professionals, 64% of those surveyed will be looking for new opportunities in 2025.

Employers say they face shortages of talent both for managers and associate (entry level) staff. The top three challenges employers say they face are: 1) A lack of applications/supply of candidates (cited by 62% of employers); 2) Salary and benefit expectations of candidates are too high (cited by 51% of employers) and 3) High competition for candidates (such as counteroffers from rival companies).

As for what professionals want, the top three benefits they seek from employers are bonus schemes, flexible or remote working and additional holidays. What professionals most value in an employer are excellent compensation and benefits, inspiring colleagues and company culture and challenging and interesting work.

The speaker went on to give a breakdown of hiring trends by industry and function, details of which are available in the full report.

Winter concluded with some insights on talent management strategies gleaned from the firm’s research. He noted that Taiwan’s business landscape is diverse, ranging from homegrown enterprises to multinational corporations. Many of these businesses have hitherto been led by visionary entrepreneurs or global leaders, who have played a key role in driving economic growth and shaping the market. However, in 2025 Taiwan will officially become a super-aged society, raising concerns about leadership transitions as older leaders leave the workplace. With talent shortages and skill gaps growing, businesses face pressure to strengthen succession planning. According to Robert Walters, 87% of companies are facing challenges with succession planning and 54% do not have succession plans in place while 43% of companies with succession plans in place believe their plans leave room for improvement.

Common key succession challenges include senior talent shortages, a conservative organisational culture, difficulties in identifying and developing talent internally and top-down management styles. Specific cultural challenges include too much emphasis on harmony within the organisation, a reluctance to challenge authority, adherence to Confucian values of hierarchy and seniority and the tendency of strong family influence on business decisions.

To begin to address these issues, Robert Walters recommends greater transparency from top management, promoting “psychological safety” in the workplace (such as encouraging employees to take risks without fear of reprisals), fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment, recognising and rewarding openness and being consistent with constructive feedback. In conclusion, by aligning their succession strategies with the evolving business landscape and encouraging a culture of continuous development, companies can nurture leaders that are ready to meet future challenges.