Over 30% of New Hires in Taiwan Leave Within Six Months; Firms Take 60.3 Days to Fill a Post

Someone who took two months to hire may not last six months. On 19 August 2025, the Public Affairs Division of 104 Corporation (a Taiwanese job bank) published its 2025 HR F.B.I. Survey Report. It said 65.4% of new hires in Taiwan were still in post six months after starting, meaning more than 30% left within six months. The same report said firms took 60.3 days on average in 2024 to find one employee, 5.9 days more than in 2023.

First, where the figures come from. This is an online survey by a single job bank, of company HR staff and hiring managers, with 1,119 responses and a sampling error of plus or minus 2.8%. The data relate to 2024 and are compared with 2023. The published 104 press release does not state when the survey was actually carried out.

General services fell furthest, and electronics and IT also declined

By sector, the six-month retention rate for new hires in electronics and information technology fell from 72.5% in 2023 to 66.2% in 2024. TechNews, reporting on the same survey on the same day, said general services fell from 67.5% to 59.3%, the largest drop among the categories it listed.

Hiring has also slowed. In 2024, filling a non-managerial post took 53.4 days on average, and a managerial post took 77.9 days.

Hiring a manager takes nearly 78 days, yet the new hire may leave within six months.

Later-edition figures: the first month sees the most departures

On 3 September 2026, Manager Today quoted a later edition of the 104 report comparing retention among new hires who started in 2025 with those who started in 2024: at one month, 77.3% against 82.2%; at three months, 69.6% against 74.8%; at six months, 62.2% against 66.2%. In other words, about 22.7% of 2025 starters left within a month, and about 37.8% within six months. On that basis, of those who left within six months, about 60% had already gone in the first month.

These figures need care. They are a second-hand media quotation, and Manager Today labels the report edition inconsistently. In the later edition, the 2024 six-month retention rate is 66.2%, which differs from the 65.4% published in the 2025 edition, and no explanation for the gap has been found. Readers should note both the year and the edition. However, in the later edition, retention at every stage in 2025 is lower than in 2024.

Official statistics: turnover is concentrated among those with shorter service

On 14 October 2025, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) published its 2024 (ROC year 113) overview of movements and characteristics of employees in industry and services. Among employees who left their workplace in 2024, those with under three years of service made up nearly 74%; dismissals or redundancies accounted for only 4.6%, and retirement for 4.8%. On 24 October 2025, Manager Today quoted the same statistics, saying those with under one year of service made up 42.7%, and those with one to under three years made up 31.2%.

Note that this is the length-of-service profile of leavers, not the same measure as new-hire retention, so the two cannot be compared directly. It does show that most turnover happens in the first few years after joining, and that most leavers were not dismissed or made redundant by the employer.

Why training does not always keep people

TechNews reported that 73.3% of firms ran talent development in 2024, and 90.8% of those met difficulties, such as low willingness among staff to join courses voluntarily, development not linked to performance, pay rises and promotion, and key trainees still leaving.

Expectations between new hires and employers may also differ. Manager Today quoted a survey by the US National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE): 71% of employers thought new graduates were only "somewhat prepared", and only 22% thought they were well prepared. This is a US survey, the article does not give its sample size, and it can only serve as background. Among the sources used here, there is no first-hand Taiwanese survey on gaps in interview expectations.

Analysis: three areas where managers and HR can start

The three points below are drawn from advice given by a 104 Corporation HR chief in the TechNews report. They are suggestions, not survey findings; the order and the explanations are our own analysis.

1. State pay and job content clearly at interview. The report advises full disclosure of both; in the later-edition data, the first month has the highest share of departures, so setting out the terms before the start date may reduce mismatch.
2. Make new-hire training complete. The report advises complete training for new hires; one of the difficulties the survey lists is development not linked to performance, pay rises and promotion, so training design should consider those rewards too.
3. Assign each new hire a dedicated mentor. The report says a dedicated mentor can help new hires gain a sense of achievement quickly.

The figures above are public data available as of November 2026. Hiring a person takes two months; on second-hand data for 2025 starters, departures are most concentrated in the first month. Rather than only trying to hire faster, it may be better to organise the new hire's first month well.

Prices and details correct as of November 2026

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.