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The Executive Yuan Ministry of the Interior announced the populations of each city and county at the end of July. Taichung was home to 2,778,182 people, 309 more than Kaohsiung, officially making Taichung the second largest city in Taiwan. In order to understand the reason for Taichung’s increase in population, the 1111 Job Bank performed a special internet survey poll entitled “The Desire to Move to Taichung and Life Satisfaction,” and held a press conference to reveal the results.
The poll showed that the top three reasons stated for choosing to work and live in Taichung were: a convenient lifestyle, good living environment, and a pleasant climate. Over 50% of participants stated that transportation in Taichung is convenient, and Taichung earned 70.3 points on the life satisfaction section of the survey. The policies the public were most satisfied with are, in order, MRT and roads, water infrastructure, tourism and culture, social welfare and education, and public infrastructure.
The survey also showed that the reasons for those of working age staying in Taichung were primarily Taichung’s convenience of life (37.1%), living environment (31.5%), pleasant climate (30.9%), and abundance of employment opportunities (24.1%). At the same time, the policies and plans that attracted those of working age to Taichung were: the creation of convenient transportation (52.7%), abundance of leisure resources (24.0%), strengthening of city culture (21.9%), and childcare subsidies (20.0%).
In addition to this, the Jobs Bank database shows that the average salary of those working in Taichung was NT 37,876 per month, and the rate at which those who grew up in Taichung remained in Taichung for work was 84.3%, the highest in Taiwan. Additionally, annual unemployment increase was only 3.1%, the lowest of the three major cities: Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.
Mayor Lin stated, this internet survey further proves that Taichung is a livable city. He further stated that today is Father’s Day, and a mayor is like a father to their city, who must put themselves in other’s shoes in running the city government. The most important part of city development is the creation of employment opportunities and promoting economic growth. At the same time providing care for growth and happy living for all city residents from 0 to 100 through Taichung’s Raising a Dragon and Senior Care policies.
Mayor Lin also stated that Taichung is located in the center of Taiwan, and has a pleasant climate, and other natural advantages. After the city and county combined, complete long term city planning was necessary. Through the efforts of the city government, the central government has already approved Taichung’s urban planning, expediting the development of the Greater Taichung 123 Plan, as well as creating the skeleton for public transportation systems, an expansive public road network, and highways to Nantou and Zhanghua. These plans allow traffic to flow more freely between Taichung, Zhanghua, Nantou, and Miaoli.
Additionally, Taichung is home to water and green environments, including the second extension of Liuchuan, the creation of scenic spots in Luchuan, and the creation of the Hulu Dun canal. Taichung also has rich tourist and cultural resources, therefore “those who understand living will love Taichung!” In the future, the city government will continue to work in three directions, including creating more employment opportunities, improving living functions in the city, and policies promoting social welfare and culture and education. Additionally, the government continues work on solutions for public safety and pollution, making Taichung even more liveable.
The vice president of the jobs bank, He Qisheng stated, this poll shows that those who wish to work, or are already working, in Taichung wish to enter the public service, information technology, industry, and business sectors. The main reasons are the “abundance of employment opportunities,” “good prospects for the development of industry,” and “high salaries.” The poll also shows that those working in Taichung earn, on average, NT 37,876 per month.
The jobs bank also invited four employees who came to Taichung from elsewhere for employment to share their thoughts on moving to, living in, and working in, Taichung.
Mr. Jiang from Hong Kong stated that, since coming to Taiwan, he had lived in Taipei and Tainan, and had travelled around the island 3 times. In the end, he was attracted to Taichung for its great climate, arts, and culture. Mr. Jiang operates an arts restaurant in Taichung.
Mr. Lin, an engineer, stated that his first job was in Taoyuan, after which he moved back to his hometown in Yunlin to work. He chose to move to Taichung for work because of the pace at which Taichung is developing, and the higher salaries, allowing him to successfully pay off his student loans within two years.
Mr. Cai, who drives an electric bus in Taichung stated that salaries in Taichung are comparatively high, and transportation is convenient. As an electric bus driver, he earns roughly NT 50,000 per month, and expects to be able to buy property in Taichung within two years. Octur, a tutor, believes that, in addition to the ease of finding work in Taichung, the city is home to many leisure locations. These include commercial districts like Yizhong and Fengjia, the Gaomei wetlands, and the National Taichung Theater, all of which make life exciting.
In order to learn more about the reasons for Taichung being such a livable city, the 1111 Jobs Bank specially designed a “Desire to Move to Taichung and Life Satisfaction” survey which looked at those employed from their database. Participants were selected at random by email, and the survey was performed over the internet. 1185 responses were recorded between August 3 and 7, 2017. Confidence interval is 95%, margin of error is +/-2.85.