Taiwan: an ageing tiger in need of cubs

Taipei

JASON TSAI is among the few in Taiwan with excellent English, but two years after graduating from university, the highly sought language skill has failed to secure him a well-paying job.

Mr Tsai has been pulling in an average monthly pay of NT$15,000 (S$643) through part-time work, below the minimum wage of NT$22,000 for college graduates and one-fourth of the retirement pension received by state employees. "I cannot afford a place of my own with my low income . . . All I have been able to find were part-time jobs," the 25-year-old said.

The plight of young workers such as Mr Tsai highlights a serious problem for Taiwan which has gone from a young and vibrant Tiger economy to ageing and …