Employment: Foreign workers increase

The number of foreigners working in Taiwan rose to 307,538 last month, up for the second consecutive month, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) said yesterday. CLA officials attributed the increase to a cut in commission fees and the cancellation of two-month deposits imposed on the employers of foreign workers. The number of foreign caregivers rose 1,525 last month to 108,137. The number of foreign maids fell 68 to 8,735. The CLA said that changes to the regulations for foreign maids accounted for the fall. The number of foreign fishermen working in Taiwan last month rose to 1,884, a increase of 121 from the previous month.