Foreign workers face new quota system

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) will implement a nation-by-nation quota system to regulate the number of foreign workers allowed into the country.

CLA Vice Chairman Kuo Chi-jen (郭吉仁) said yesterday that the council would institute a new quota system to adjust the number of workers from particular source countries, the major ones being Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in that order.

After a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the introduction of foreign workers and its repercussions, Kuo said that in order to make things simpler, diplomatic and political factors would not be considered when the quota system is implemented.

The new quota system would have no impact on the 303,567 foreigners who are currently working in Taiwan in various trades, Kuo said.

When deciding on the quota amounts for each of the four major countries that are sources for foreign laborers, Kuo said, the CLA will take into account factors such as each country's willingness to cooperate as well as its policies to cope with Taiwan's plans to reduce brokerage fees and its "direct employment" practices.

According to Kuo, the Philippines and Vietnam have already signed a "direct employment" agreement with the CLA to simplify the process of introducing laborers into Taiwan.

The governments of Thailand and Indonesia, however, have only responded in a lukewarm fashion to the plan, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新) said that foreign workers have been an important and imperative source of labor in helping with the development of the nation's infrastructure.

The introduction of foreign workers has also been conducive to bolstering diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries, Chien said.

He added that the foreign ministry is expecting to promote "foreign worker diplomacy" by strengthening cooperation with the CLA, other relevant agencies and the source countries.

For her part, CLA Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) said taking care of foreign workers' interests is necessary in terms of human rights, but the source countries should also treat Taiwan fairly and rationally.

There were 303,567 foreign workers in Taiwan as of the end of January, a drop of 1,038 from December of last year, according to the CLA tallies.

The number of foreign laborers working in the construction and manufacturing sectors has drop-ped noticeably, while the number of foreign maids and caregivers has continued to grow.

The council has forecasted that the number of foreign workers working on Taiwanese fishing vessels may increase slightly in the near future following China's recent abrupt banning of its nationals from the positions.

Thai workers still make up the largest group of foreign workers in Taiwan, numbering 127,732 as of the end of last year. The Thais are followed by Indonesians at 91,132, Philippine workers at 72,779, and Vietnamese at 12,916.