Taiwan's Brain Drain: A Mortal Wound

Taiwan's Brain Drain: A Mortal Wound
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 22, 2007

Our national leaders are in the habit of reminding us that Beijing has a large number of missiles aimed at Taiwan, therefore everybody ought to remain vigilant. This is not entirely wrong. But Taiwan's biggest threat is not necessarily Beijing's missiles. It is a brain drain that has inflicted a mortal wound upon Taiwan's competitiveness.

Taiwan is experiencing a brain drain. White collar workers are in a hurry to leave. This is no longer a phenomenon that can be ignored. Most of them leave for mainland China, primarily due to Taiwan's internal political struggles. Ruling DPP leaders reason that "So what if we revive the economy? That doesn't mean we'll get reelected." Whereupon they continue their ideologically-motivated Closed Door Policy. They allow industry to wither. Young workers can no longer find work, and must leave to survive.

In the past, most countries did not welcome immigrants. They tried to stop them. Now circumstances are different. Now we have Globalization and the Global Village. Now the World is Flat. To be competitive one must have talented people. The countries of the world now compete for the most talented people. They have launched a "Global Talent Hunt." The nations of the world have one by one revised their immigration policies, and are recruiting foreign students from all over the globe. They offer all sorts of enticements to make them come.

The mainland Chinese economy is growingly rapidly, by double digits every year. It is estimated that next year its total output may surpass Germany's. It will become the world's third largest economic entity. Such enormous productivity creates enormous purchasing power. Transnational corporations are all struggling to be the first to profit from a market of 1.3 billion customers. Taiwan's major corporations have been directly or indirectly entering the mainland. Taiwan's economy has stagnated due to internal political strife. Businesses have had no choice but to seek refuge on the mainland. At first they tested the waters. Eventually they stayed to sink roots.

Taiwan businesspersons who move to the mainland take personnel along with them. The mainland desperately needs business managers and financial managers who understand global markets. According to Taiwan's 104 Job Bank, a head-hunting firm, Taiwan businesspersons and mainland businesspersons alike approach them for workers. The Job Bank invariably asks jobseekers a question: "Are you willing to work on the mainland?" Not long ago National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Business Administration surveyed 30 students. Forty percent of them said they were willing to work on the mainland

In fact, many white collar managerial and technical personnel have already moved to the mainland. According to estimates by the Taiwanese Businessmen's Association, the Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan regions alone have over 500,000 Taiwan businesspersons. If one adds nearby Guangdong, the number approaches 800,000 to 900,000. Naturally this does not include Taiwan talent recruited by mainland businesses.

Taiwan Media Watch conducted a survey. They asked people why they were willing to work on the mainland. Their answers were illuminating:

One. Rapid salary increases. In some years their salary increased 20% to 30%. Approximately 10% of the increase was due to market growth.

Two. Working on the mainland is a simple way of moving toward internationalization.

Three. Taiwan is no longer a link in the global market. Taiwan businesses have no future. Individuals working for Taiwan businesses have no future either.

Four. Working on the mainland is like participating in the Olympics, One is competing with world class competitors. It is both a personal challenge and a learning opportunity.

Many human resource firms and consulting firms have noted that among the economies of the Asian Pacific region, Taiwan's manpower requirements have been the lowest for five straight years. In October of this year, 100,000 university graduates, including those with masters and doctorates, cannot find work. Therefore the age of those who have gone to the mainland or hope to go to the mainland is getting younger and younger. Now entire families are picking up and moving to the mainland. The children no longer study in foreign schools or bilingual schools. Instead they enroll in local schools. They do so because their future is there. Therefore they feel they must integrate into local society as soon as possible.

Our Ministry of Education recognizes diplomas from third rate universities in the US. But it refuses to recognize diplomas from mainland China's Beijing University, Qinghua University, and other famous schools. As a result, many students from Taiwan who studied and obtained degrees on the mainland, are only able to work on the mainland.

In 1949 Nationalist troops were routed in the Battle of Xu Bang. The government retreated to Taiwan. Acting General Tu Yu-ming was captured by Chen Yi's troops. He was released after "Successful Thought Reform" in a Chinese Communist Party POW camp. On May 26, 1960, he was invited to a banquet held by Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice-Premier Chen Yi in honor of British Field Marshal Montgomery. While introducing Tu Yu-ming, Zhou Enlai said Tu once fought a battle with Chen Yi. Montgomery asked: Who won? Zhou answered: Chen Yi won. Montgomery asked Tu: How many troops did you command during that campaign? Tu answered: One million. Montgomery said: Anyone with a million troops under his command should not have lost. Tu explained: He had two million. Because my one million defected to his side.

This story is not necessarily true. But it is certainly something to think about.

人才流失是台灣競爭力的致命傷
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.11.22 03:34 am

國家領導人經常提醒民眾，對岸有多少多少顆飛彈正瞄準台灣，要大家提高警覺。話也許沒有錯，但台灣面臨的最大威脅未必是對岸的飛彈，而是人才流失對台灣競爭力造成的致命傷。

今天的台灣，腦力外移，白領階級出走，已是不容忽視的現象，其中又以去中國大陸者為多。主要是因為台灣內鬥不止，政客認為「把經濟搞好也不一定選得上」，於是繼續以意識形態鎖國，繼續讓產業萎縮；中青年找不到工作，只好外逃尋生路。

在過去，多數國家都不歡喜外來移民，設限阻止。現在不一樣了，全球化，地球村，世界是平的，有人才而後有競爭力，各國競自延攬人才，一場「全球人才爭奪戰」於焉展開。各國紛紛修改移民政策，並廣納外國留學生，以種種優惠條件，歡迎人才來歸。

中國大陸經濟發展快速，每年都以兩位數字成長。預估明年生產總值將可超過德國，成為世界第三大經濟體。由於這樣的產能及相應的消費力，全世界的跨國企業，都爭先到這個十三億人口的大市場尋求商機。而台灣的大企業更多已直接或迂迴進入大陸，再加上台灣因政治內耗而經濟停滯，使企業界在無從選擇下不得不「投奔」對岸。他們從初期的「試探」，到最後留下去「深耕」。

台商到大陸發展，要帶幹部過去。大陸自身對有國際觀的經理人才和金融人才也極端缺乏。據台灣一○四人力銀行說，台商和大陸商家都向它要人。人力銀行徵才會提一個問題：「你願去大陸工作嗎？」台大商學所不久前向三十名學生調查，有四成學生表示不排除去大陸工作。

實際上，很多白領階級的主管及技術人員已去了大陸。據台商協會的估計，單在上海與蘇州、昆山一帶的台籍人士就超過五十萬，再加上廣東附近的，應接近八十到九十萬之間。當然，這還不包括大陸企業聘請去的台灣人才。

台灣媒體曾做過調查，問這些人為什麼願去大陸工作，答案主要有以下這些：

一、薪水增加快，有年增百分之二十到三十者；其中百分之十因市場成長而來。

二、去大陸工作是跨向國際化最簡單的一步。

三、台灣已不是世界市場的一環，台灣企業沒有前途，個人未來自然也沒有發展。

四、到大陸工作像參加奧運，一起競爭的全是世界高手，對自己是挑戰，也是學習。

多家人力資源和顧問公司都觀察到，亞太各國的人力需求，台灣連五季墊底，今年十月底有十萬大學畢業生和碩、博士找不到工作，因此已去大陸和願去大陸工作者的年齡層，有日漸下降的趨勢。尤其值得注意的，現在很多人都是舉家遷往大陸，孩子也不再只選擇外國學校或雙語學校，而是進入當地學校就讀。這些人的理由是：既然要在當地發展，就要盡早融入當地社會。

我們的教育部承認美國的三流大學，但不承認中國大陸的北大、清華等名校的學歷，眾多到大陸讀書而取得學位的台灣學生，只有被迫「楚才晉用」。

一九四九年「徐蚌會戰」國軍大敗，政府被迫遷到台灣。實際指揮作戰的杜聿明將軍被陳毅軍隊俘虜，在中共戰俘營「改造成功」後獲釋。一九六○年五月二十六日應邀參加總理周恩來和副總理陳毅招待英國蒙哥馬利元帥的宴會。周恩來介紹杜聿明說：他跟陳毅打過戰。蒙問：誰贏了？周答：陳毅贏了。蒙問杜：那次戰役你有多少軍隊？杜答：一百萬。蒙說：擁有一百萬軍隊的統帥是不應該被打敗的。杜指著陳說：他有兩百萬人，因為我的一百萬都跑到他那裡去了。

這故事的內容未必全為真實，但這故事給人啟發，更給人警惕。