Taipei: A record 128,000 Taiwanese nationals joined the U.S. workforce in 2023, according to a report from Taiwan's Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). The increase is largely attributed to employment opportunities created by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) factory in Arizona. According to Focus Taiwan, DGBAS deputy director Tan Wen-ling explained that TSMC's expansions in both the United States and Japan have been pivotal in driving Taiwanese workers abroad. In Japan, TSMC's new fab in Kumamoto also attracted a significant number of Taiwanese workers. The report further indicated a decline in the number of Taiwanese nationals working in China, including Hong Kong and Macau. The proportion has decreased from 62.2 percent in 2011 to 35 percent in 2023. This shift is attributed to increased costs, a focus on Taiwan by local investors, economic weaknesses in China, and rising international concerns about Beijing. DGBAS data showed that the number of Taiwanese seek ing overseas employment grew from approximately 662,000 in 2009 to about 739,000 by 2019. However, the figure began to decline in 2020 due to factors like U.S.-China trade disputes, supply chain changes, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced the number to around 319,000 by 2021. The trend reversed in 2022 and 2023, with overseas work numbers rising to approximately 621,000 in 2023 as COVID-19 restrictions eased. Besides the 128,000 Taiwanese who moved to the U.S., about 217,000 went to China, 92,000 to Southeast Asia, and 68,000 to Japan or South Korea.