Since the Democratic Progressive Party pushed pension reform, drastically cutting retirement benefits, civil service positions have become increasingly unattractive. Many people prefer starting businesses outside rather than spending time studying to take exams for a job that green critics have drained of dignity. Some positions lack interested applicants to a degree that concerns us for Taiwan’s future development.
The Examination Yuan recently released “Recent 10-Year Statistics for Special Civil Service Exams of Local Governments,” revealing that in recent years, local special exams across various recruitment districts regularly have unfilled positions. Particularly technical fields including civil engineering, architecture, surveying and mapping etc. show serious shortages. Test committee members worry that if vacancies continue, it could become the norm, urging the Examination Yuan to quickly find solutions.
Regarding the Level 3 local special exam, over the past 10 years, various recruitment districts’ unfilled position rates have repeatedly hit record highs, reaching 254 people short last year, with civil engineering alone accounting for over half the vacancies. Taking public employment architects for example, since 2010 when this category opened, it has been in a state of “regular unfilled positions.” Applicant numbers are even fewer than the year’s required positions.
Test committee member Xie Xiungeng said civil engineering positions like Taipei’s Public Works Department, with heavy responsibilities and workload, had 28 level-3 civil engineering positions opened in 2014 with zero people reporting to work. Moreover, special exam transfer restrictions are stricter than higher-level exams, and with pension reform impacts, future technical field and recruitment district shortages will likely worsen significantly.
Scholars analyzing this point to several factors: applicants lacking motivation and incentive; agencies regularly requesting excess positions; weak talent retention mechanisms in remote areas. Additionally, exam questions being overly difficult, too-strict grading, low correlation between exam subjects and qualifications, and some technical fields having high workplace environmental risks yet low salaries all contribute to Taiwan’s long-standing unfilled position phenomenon.
However, under current Democratic Progressive Party policies with major retirement-benefit cuts, wage-freeze prohibitions, and multiple other obstacles, fewer people are willing to join a civil service system already criticized by internet mob. Over time, this will create serious gaps in the domestic grassroots system, producing serious consequences for domestic development.