The National Development Council (NDC) on Tuesday said it is considering amending legislation to allow employers to hire foreign graduates without work experience.
After the amendment, foreign graduates from overseas universities, such as Ivy League schools in the US, would have an easier path to finding work in Taiwan, NDC Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) said, adding that the council is also considering easing rules for foreign professionals to obtain permanent residency.
While there are actions the government can take to make working in Taiwan more attractive for foreign nationals, it is unclear how eliminating work experience requirements would achieve this goal or be helpful for Taiwan. Those graduating from top-tier universities with degrees that would make them desirable candidates for Taiwanese employers, such as in engineering, mathematics, computer science or medicine, would likely have job prospects in their home countries, and are probably not seeking work abroad.
There is a reason most countries have work experience requirements for work visas: Practical skills learned on the job are vastly more useful to employers than the theoretical skills learned in school.
In the US, non-immigrant work visas for Canadian and Mexican professionals (TN visas) for computer systems analysts, graphic designers, hotel managers, interior designers, technical writers and medical laboratory technologists require applicants to have appropriate academic backgrounds and three years of relevant experience. TN visas for lawyers and management consultants require the appropriate education and five years of experience. The US’ H1B visa has similar requirements as well as stipulations about work conditions and salary, with the intention that employers would first seek to hire local applicants.
In Japan, local businesses must sponsor professionals in education, business management, law, medicine, research and engineering to obtain a certificate of eligibility before applying for a work visa, which has various requirements including work experience.
Instead of lowering the standards for hiring foreign professionals, the NDC should ask how it can attract the best and most experienced talent.
A Nov. 15, 2016, Forbes article, titled “5 Great Reasons To Work Abroad,” lists “learning” and “networking” as the top two reasons. People might seek work abroad to learn about other cultures, to learn a foreign language or to network with people from different backgrounds. The article also lists “remuneration” and “competition” as reasons, thus it makes sense that companies at home and abroad scout people who stand out in their field. Such people would likely relocate if it meant an improvement in quality of life, which is based on a number of factors, including salary, cost of living, good schools for their children, weather, quality of work and the availability of recreational options.
Taiwanese companies might be willing to pay a premium for exceptional foreign talent, but there should be no discrepancy between foreign and local professionals when it comes to things like salary and working hours. Such discrepancies would only lead to animosity and ostracism in the workplace, which would be counterproductive.
The best way to attract foreign talent would be to make Taiwan a great place to work for everyone — including Taiwanese. Salaries should be more competitive and overtime should be capped — and paid for. Other quality of life improvements would go a long way, such as with the government more aggressively tackling air pollution and traffic issues, and making work environments friendlier.
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