Overtime hours at Taiwan’s electronics companies hit their highest level for June since records began in 1980 as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom continues to drive demand, data released on Monday by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed.Employees in the electronic components industry worked an average of 28.7 hours of overtime in June, far beyond the national average of 9.1 hours across the industrial and service sectors, the DGBAS said.Average overtime in the computer and optoelectronics industry also reached a record high for June at 17.7 hours, the highest since 1980, the data showed.
People work at a plant in Taichung on August 6 last year.
The DGBAS said sustained global enthusiasm for AI has driven a surge in orders received by technology companies, prompting employers to rely heavily on overtime. It said that overtime hours are often a barometer of activity in the sector.In June, average overtime in the manufacturing sector stood at 18.0 hours, up 0.5 hours from a year earlier, but down 0.3 hours from May. Across the industrial and service sectors, average overtime was 9.1 hours, up 0.5 hours year on year but down 0.2 hours from the previous month, the agency said.
