[Media and Interviews] Facing the era of severe labor shortages
In 2023, a leading Korean e-commerce company made its powerful entry into Taiwan, even before officially launching its operations. They partnered with Taiwanese recruitment firm LRS to establish their local presence, covering everything from executive recruitment to setting up the basic office infrastructure, logistics fleet, and warehousing systems—all managed jointly by LRS and ConBiz.
Traditionally, headhunting firms are associated with executive recruitment, but LRS has extended its services beyond just high-level talent acquisition to include blue- and white-collar staffing services, offering a comprehensive range of solutions from recruitment to training. LRS has secured its position among the top three HR consulting firms in Taiwan, with nine teams under its umbrella and seven teams from ConBiz, employing nearly 100 consultants. Their corporate clients span various industries, including luxury goods, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and software, with total revenue nearing NT$1 billion in 2023.
More Than Just a Recruitment Consultant—A Career Coach
Founded in 2010, LRS was born from founder Chen Haohua's vision. Reflecting on his motivation to start the company, Chen recalls, "At that time, headhunting was still a niche service in Taiwan, with local and foreign businesses alike reluctant to embrace the concept of talent recruitment. There wasn't a truly local Taiwanese company that had made it to the international stage." Naming the company Leading Recruitment Services, Chen aimed to become the foremost talent recruitment platform, covering all industries. In 2019, to meet the demands of the pandemic and market needs, ConBiz was established, focusing on blue- and white-collar staffing, with clients including leading e-commerce platforms and large manufacturers.
"We are one of the few companies capable of managing both blue-collar and white-collar staffing," says ConBiz Director Chen Renpu. Unlike foreign firms that focus mainly on white-collar staffing, ConBiz extends its expertise from headhunting to staffing, offering more flexible services. With declining birth rates and shifting values among Generation Z, labor shortages have become the norm. Unlike traditional job platforms where companies post job openings and candidates upload their resumes, ConBiz proactively identifies suitable candidates based on company needs and even anticipates future industry demands, building a talent pool in advance.
Consultants at LRS are specialized, gaining deep insights into the industries they serve. This enables them to offer clients substantial advice while also providing career development guidance to candidates, fostering long-term relationships. When a client has a need, LRS is ready to present the perfect candidate immediately.
Systematic Training for a Talent-Retaining Work Environment
To further enhance service quality and ensure consistent training for every consultant, LRS has systematized the skills required for a recruitment consultant's career, including interviewing, business development, talent sourcing, and performance management, into a structured training curriculum. Founder Chen Haohua explains that every LRS consultant has a set of LEGO bricks on their desk, with each brick representing a certified skill. By stacking these bricks, consultants can visualize their skillset and see how they compare with their colleagues. "Awards like the Annual Outstanding Consultant or MVP are also customized into special items, making each consultant feel unique."
As a human resources consulting service, LRS recognizes that "people" are at its core, and founder Chen Haohua faces the challenge of talent retention just like any other business leader. The younger generation places greater emphasis on work-life balance. To accommodate this, LRS provides a comfortable work environment with flexible hours, massages for employees with disabilities, and opportunities for international travel. "We accept everyone’s uniqueness, placing different people in different industries, and assigning them to corresponding roles based on their skills," says Chen. For example, HR consultants, who are typically more conservative and meticulous, are matched with clients who need careful and stable guidance, while marketing and sales roles are filled by consultants who are dynamic, think outside the box, and can adapt quickly.
Becoming the Top 5% Specialist with Integrated Soft Skills
Due to geopolitical factors, many foreign companies have removed Taiwan from the Greater China region and integrated it into the South Asia regional market, resulting in a surge of job openings. Founder Chen Haohua believes that Taiwan’s rich product diversity and varied distribution channels make it a gateway for many foreign companies entering the Asian market, especially in the fields of IT, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals, where Taiwan excels.
Chen advises Taiwanese job seekers to adopt a global perspective. However, compared to other Asia-Pacific countries, Taiwanese talent tends to be less internationalized and slower in adopting new technologies. Moreover, due to the influence of the education system, Taiwanese individuals are often more passive and humble, lagging in confidence, initiative, and out-of-the-box thinking. Chen encourages job seekers to be more courageous in expressing their ideas and more proactive in seizing opportunities.
For early-career white-collar professionals, Director Chen Renpu notes that the current market trend is towards cultivating specialists who maximize their strengths. "People in the top 5% of their skill or professional field will always find work." With more AI integration in the future, many jobs may be replaced. Rather than dabbling in multiple areas, individuals should strive to become experts in their field while continuously learning.
For mid- to senior-level professionals, Chen Haohua suggests that, in addition to technical expertise, it’s crucial to develop integrated soft skills. "Future competition in the Asia-Pacific region will rely on cross-departmental collaboration. To advance to mid- and senior-level management, you must have leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities to grow faster."
Fourteen years ago, Chen Haohua, who was working in marketing in the United States, discovered his sensitivity to people through his interaction with a recruitment consultant when he returned to Taiwan to look for a job. This serendipitous encounter led him into the recruitment industry. Director Chen Renpu transitioned from the financial sector to recruitment eight years ago because of his interest in people. Seeing candidates he has worked with move closer to their dreams or watching recruitment consultants grow from rookies to independent professionals is their greatest sense of accomplishment.