An increasing number of foreign students who graduated from institutions of higher education in Taiwan have chosen to stay for employment as a result of reforms enacted half a year ago, the National Development Council said.
The council on Tuesday said that 1,428 students — mostly ethnic Chinese students from Southeast Asian nations — successfully applied for work permits over the past six months.
Although up to 5,000 foreign students obtain Taiwanese higher-education degrees each year, in the past, an average of only 850 foreign students per year stayed to work.
The reforms have been enacted in a bid to revitalize the nation’s shrinking workforce and attract foreign talent, the council said.
Recent statistics released by the Ministry of Labor show that the workforce is decreasing by 180,000 people per year, as the result of an aging society.
The increase in employment among foreign students was largely a result of reforms that broaden the criteria for work permits among foreign students, the council said.
Instead of the previous fixed-wage requirement that meant foreign students had to earn a minimum of NT$37,619 a month, a new evaluation system enacted in July last year by the Ministry of Labor considers eight factors.
The new measure benefits foreign students who earn less than the monthly minimum, but perform strongly in other criteria — including Chinese-language ability, foreign-language ability, education level, work experience, professional qualifications and experience living abroad — as well as additional bonuses for those who seek employment in select industries.
Among the successful applicants in the past six months, the average monthly wage was NT$34,863, with more than half employed in the information technology or mechanical engineering industries, the council said.
Lai Jia-jen (賴家仁), head of the labor ministry’s Foreign Labor Management Division, yesterday said that depending on the success of the reforms, the evaluation system for foreign students could act as a precursor to attract additional foreign talent.
“We will take into consideration the results of these trial evaluations for foreign students, and consider formulating a similar mechanism for foreign professionals,” Lai said.
Currently, foreign professionals without Taiwanese degrees must earn a minimum of NT$47,971 a month to qualify for a work permit, while those without a master’s degree usually require at least two years of work experience.
A related council project announced last month, Headstart Taiwan, stipulates relaxed regulations for foreigners who wish to work at select startup companies that fulfill government qualifications, to attract foreign talent and boost entrepreneurship in Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Chen Mei-ying
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