TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan dispatched a delegation to Singapore and Malaysia last week in an attempt to woo information technology (IT) talent from the Southeast Asian nations.

To achieve its goal of drawing 60,000 foreign professionals from 2021-2030 and promoting its Employment Gold Card, the National Development Council (NDC) organized a delegation that visited Singapore and Malaysia from Sept. 5-11, according to the council's press release. The delegation was led by NDC Deputy Minister Yu Chien-Hwa (游建華). It included representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the National Science and Technology Council, as well as executives from private tech firms.

During its trip, the delegation held a number of job fairs which were attended by executives from semiconductor behemoths Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp., along with IT startups PicCollage Co. and Lucid Group, Inc. Taiwanese delegates provided information on the Employment Gold Card system and employment prospects with students and professionals from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Universiti Malaya.

Yu told Singaporean and Malaysian talents that Taiwan has advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, and was able to become key semiconductor industry player in the world by forming a "self-contained system" that includes everything from upstream IC design to downstream packaging and testing. He added that the successful development of new ventures in Taiwan provides a platform on which international talents can reach their full potential.

The NDC head pointed out that since the Act for the Recruitment of Foreign Professionals was passed in 2018, nearly 6,000 Employment Gold Cards have been issued to highly-skilled foreign professionals. Yu said that the advantage of the card is that it enables holders to work, invest and live in Taiwan without the need to find a sponsoring employer.

In order to expand opportunities for continuous exchanges with Malaysian talents, Yu said the NDC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwanese Universities, Malaysia on Sept. 8.

Those wishing to apply for Taiwan's Gold Card can do so by visiting the official website of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office.