AI Boom Drives April Overtime Hours in Taiwan's Electronic Components Sector to 47-Year High
Driven by robust AI demand, overtime hours in Taiwan's electronic components and computer manufacturing sectors reached a 47-year high for the month of April. The DGBAS has consequently upgraded Taiwan's economic growth forecast for this year to 9.64%.
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- 📰 Published: June 12, 2026 at 20:04
- 🔍 Collected: June 13, 2026 at 00:44 (4h 40m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 13, 2026 at 05:40 (4h 56m after Collected)
(CNA Reporter Pan Tzu-yu, Taipei, 12th) AI demand is proving unexpectedly strong, with related industries overwhelmed by orders and overtime hours frequently setting new records. According to statistics from the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), the two major sectors directly benefiting from the AI boom—electronic components manufacturing, and computers, electronic and optical products manufacturing—both saw their April overtime hours hit the highest levels for the same month in 47 years since statistics began.
The DGBAS released the April employee statistics today, showing that at the end of April, the total number of employees was 8.567 million, with an average total working hours of 166.1 hours and an average overtime of 9.4 hours.
Among these, overtime hours are an important indicator for external observers to monitor economic changes. When companies are full of orders and must rely on overtime to cope, overtime hours generally rise; conversely, they fall during an economic downturn.
Benefiting from the recent AI boom, Taiwan has not only seen continuous upward revisions in its economic growth rate, but the overtime performance of AI-related industries also clearly demonstrates that AI demand is indeed stronger than expected.
The DGBAS pointed out that the overtime hours for the manufacturing sector in April stood at 18.5 hours, the highest level since August 2010. Among them, the electronic components manufacturing industry, which is most deeply linked to the AI dividend, saw its overtime hours surge to 29.6 hours. The computers, electronic and optical products manufacturing sector recorded 18.1 hours of overtime. Both figures set the highest record for the same month in the 47 years since statistics have been kept.
When the DGBAS released its latest economic forecast at the end of May, despite the high base period of 8.76% economic growth last year, it still significantly revised this year's economic growth rate upward to 9.64%, setting a 16-year high. The DGBAS stated bluntly that the sustained AI demand has become the key engine driving Taiwan's economic growth.
Tan Wen-ling, Deputy Director of the Census Department at the DGBAS, stated that the frequent new highs in overtime hours across related industries indicate exceptionally strong AI demand, which aligns with the DGBAS's previous assessment that AI will continue to support economic growth. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150612
The DGBAS released the April employee statistics today, showing that at the end of April, the total number of employees was 8.567 million, with an average total working hours of 166.1 hours and an average overtime of 9.4 hours.
Among these, overtime hours are an important indicator for external observers to monitor economic changes. When companies are full of orders and must rely on overtime to cope, overtime hours generally rise; conversely, they fall during an economic downturn.
Benefiting from the recent AI boom, Taiwan has not only seen continuous upward revisions in its economic growth rate, but the overtime performance of AI-related industries also clearly demonstrates that AI demand is indeed stronger than expected.
The DGBAS pointed out that the overtime hours for the manufacturing sector in April stood at 18.5 hours, the highest level since August 2010. Among them, the electronic components manufacturing industry, which is most deeply linked to the AI dividend, saw its overtime hours surge to 29.6 hours. The computers, electronic and optical products manufacturing sector recorded 18.1 hours of overtime. Both figures set the highest record for the same month in the 47 years since statistics have been kept.
When the DGBAS released its latest economic forecast at the end of May, despite the high base period of 8.76% economic growth last year, it still significantly revised this year's economic growth rate upward to 9.64%, setting a 16-year high. The DGBAS stated bluntly that the sustained AI demand has become the key engine driving Taiwan's economic growth.
Tan Wen-ling, Deputy Director of the Census Department at the DGBAS, stated that the frequent new highs in overtime hours across related industries indicate exceptionally strong AI demand, which aligns with the DGBAS's previous assessment that AI will continue to support economic growth. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150612