Taiwan to add 28,000 migrants as workforce

Employers must also meet requirements on foreign capital and last year turnovers, and the comprehensive income taxes paid by the employers in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government plans to loosen up its criteria for the employment of migrant workers in certain industries, with a goal to add 28,000 more migrant workers to address the countries’ labor shortage, Focus Taiwan reported.

Announced on Tuesday, the Taiwan Ministry of Labor said the move will cover employment in the manufacturing, construction, agricultural and caregiving industries, with labor caps raised to 600, 800, 12,000 and 14,000, respectively.

The ministry said these industries need more migrant workers, given their “hot, humid, dusty” and chemical-based work environments.

On Taiwan’s Workforce Development Agency website, also operated by the Ministry of Labor, the listed qualifications for migrant employment in those industries are very stringent.

Under the caregiving industry, which is under the household services category, for instance, families who wish to hire a foreign worker must have “multiparous children of triplets” and are ages three and below, with their ages added up with corresponding points.

Employers must also meet requirements on foreign capital and last year turnovers, and the comprehensive income taxes paid by the employers in Taiwan.

Last January, Taiwan Secretary for Labor and Welfare Chris Sun visited the Philippines to discuss with the Department of Migrant Workers the measures to ensure the welfare of Filipino domestic workers, while noting the “full relaxation” of stringent qualifications that would allow more migrant workers into the country.

This amid the tensions between Taiwan and China, which had prompted lawmakers to propose a budget for a possible repatriation program.