TAIPEI -- About 84 percent of graduates in Taiwan prefer job hunting to further studies or other options this year, with 82 percent concerned that the COVID-19 epidemic might block their access to employment, a survey shows.

These would-be employees expect starting monthly salaries of nearly 35,000 new Taiwan dollars (about $1,191) on average, according to the survey by 1111 Job Bank, a job service website in Taiwan.

Taiwan's unemployment rate in April, after seasonal adjustment, was 3.68 percent, while the jobless rate among young people aged between 20 and 24 reached nearly 12.5 percent in February, according to the island's statistics agency.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of people in Taiwan who had to take unpaid leave this year has hit a record high of 15,000.