Taiwan Railways has experienced worsening manpower issues since its corporatization, with 116 new employees leaving in recent months, particularly in technical roles where shortages exceed pre-corporatization levels. New chairman Cheng Guangyuan will tackle these challenges as the company enters its second year.

The recent recruitment drive attracted 5,447 applicants for roles including assistant engineers and station staff, yet only 3,220 attended the exam, resulting in 852 hires, leaving many technical positions, especially in eastern regions, unfilled.

Statistics indicate a troubling retention rate for new recruits post-corporatization, with 116 leaving since their onboarding last April. Wu Chang-zhih, secretary of Taiwan Railway's labor union, emphasized the acute shortage in technical roles and suggested revising recruitment protocols alongside raising starting salaries to retain younger workers. Deputy General Manager Liu Shuanghuo noted that the existing salary structure fails to attract suitable talent, prompting plans for dedicated recruitment of electrical professionals in the latter half of the year.