Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers.
If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference.
Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said.
Photo: CNA
Yen was asked about the progress of labor service cooperation between Taiwan and Eswatini, its sole UN-member diplomatic ally in Africa. The sheme was announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last year.
Yen said the minister visited Eswatini in person as a special envoy of the president in April last year and this year, and he has exchanged ideas with officials.
The ministry’s priority is helping Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers, he said, adding that it also assisted the Workforce Development Agency in sending personnel to Eswatini for on-site assessments.
The agency’s delegation traveled to Eswatini on Sunday and is to stay until Saturday, mainly evaluating three local vocational centers, particularly in the fields of manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, energy and construction, Yen said.
Their assessment could serve as a basis for helping Eswatini expand its vocational training programs and enrollment capacity, he said.
“The initiative aims to effectively boost the employment competitiveness of Eswatini’s youth and cultivate technical professionals tailored to local industrial needs,” Yen said.
These graduates would receive priority hiring by Taiwanese companies operating in the soon-to-be-established Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park in Eswatini, helping the country boost employment, enhance workforce expertise and push forward industrial upgrading, he said.
Regarding the recruitment of Eswatini workers in Taiwan, Yen said the issue is complicated and involves several government agencies, but the introduction of migrant workers from any country must comply with Taiwan’s existing foreign labor recruitment laws.
“Labor cooperation between Taiwan and Eswatini remains in the feasibility assessment stage,” he said.
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