Family links dominate Taiwanese businesses

One in five workers in Taiwan has a relative in management, with the majority of these admitting that nepotism helped them land their job, according to a new survey.

The research from recruitment site 1111 Job Bank, which surveyed 1,122 people, found that 22.1% said a parent or other relative worked with them, either in a high-ranking position or as the business owner, Focustaiwan.tw reported.

Almost 90% of these said they took advantage of their relationship to find their position, with 75% admitting that nepotism secured them the job.

Over a third counted such nepotism as a personal advantage, although almost half said personal ability mattered once they were in the job.

Just 11% of those with a relative in the same organisation said they didn’t benefit from their family relationship and the majority of these suggested this was because they wanted to prove their own abilities.

While family links are helping people find jobs in the Asian country, it is also having a negative impact on trading, according to a recent study. The research, published in Management and Organization Review, found that being family-control had a negative impact on the decisions of businesses in Taiwan to trade internationally.