The institution of soldier retention benefits has successfully raised retention rates for volunteer soldiers by about 20 percent and there are plans to extend the incentive scheme to all types of volunteer positions, sources from the military said yesterday.
Only 63 percent of volunteer soldiers stayed with the military before the benefits were introduced on April 1, 2015, but these rates have gone up, reaching 76 percent in December last year, sources familiar with the matter said.
In order to retain talent, especially among lower-ranking personnel, the military intends to extend the benefits to volunteer reserve soldiers and non-commissioned officers, who often join the military without a military background.
The new benefits were designed to encourage military personnel to renew their fixed-term contracts after completion in s bid to more easily maintain troop combat readiness and reduce training costs. They are awarded on an incremental basis
Those who renew their service contract by one to three years receive NT$17,000 in the first year of employment, NT$33,000 in the second year and NT$50,000 in the third year.
The benefits have had a significant positive effect on the retention rate, the sources said.
The percentage of volunteer soldiers in the military prior to the implementation of the new policy was 54 percent, but stood at 76 percent as of Dec. 1 last year.
Of the different military branches, the navy has seen the highest growth in the percentage of volunteers, from 47 percent to 80 percent, and the air force has seen the highest growth in the retention rate, from 48 percent to 77 percent.
The Ministry of National Defense said that, lacking accurate data at the outset, it had overestimated financial requirements in the original proposal, but had since made adjustments, making this year’s budget more accurate and useful.
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