Minister of Labor Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) yesterday sought to allay concerns that opening the market to more foreign white-collar workers might squeeze out their local peers, saying that wages would not be what attract these foreign workers, let alone the so-called “22K” jobs.
The Cabinet has proposed eliminating requirements that foreign white-collar workers should be paid a minimum of NT$47,971 per month and that they must have at least two years of experience. Instead, it has proposed introducing a point-based system, with work permits granted to those scoring more than 60 points based on their educational attainment, foreign language ability and professional competence.
The measure has drawn criticism and the ire of labor groups and lawmakers.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) last month said that lifting the restrictions is a government attempt to help corporations lower their labor costs, but would aggravate the problem of stagnant wages.
Asked about the criticism after the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Chen said the ministry would continue to try to communicate with lawmakers and workers’ groups.
“The new legislature has just been inaugurated. We will visit the 15 lawmakers comprising the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee after the legislature has finalized the committee members,” Chen said. “Labor and business groups will also be invited to share their thoughts.”
“Perhaps, some lawmakers are not familiar with the policy or have misunderstood it. We will make an effort to explain the policy to them, and if disagreement persists, we will hold public hearings to present the pros and cons” of the policy, Chen added.
Asked about public concern that the proposal would crowd out local workers, Chen said that what would attract foreign white-collar workers to Taiwan “is definitely not the pay.”
“Taiwan’s wages have been stagnant for 15 years, [a predicament] when compared to, not to say all other countries in the world, but those in Asia alone. So what attracts foreign professionals to the country is definitely not the salary. Would anyone come here to fight for those 22K jobs?” Chen asked, referring to a controversial average starting pay of NT$22,000 per month for new graduates.
Chen added that those who choose to work in Taiwan regardless of the pay are likely people hoping to be young entrepreneurs who want to start their own business.
“There are many who start a business online now with just two or three people, and you tell them that they need to have at least two years of work experience and a minimum salary. However, they might all be board members, just like Microsoft which started its business in a garage,” Chen said. “You cannot cultivate this kind of entrepreneurship if you set a minimum wage barrier.”
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
RSS