The Ministry of Labor yesterday launched a nationwide program awarding cash to new graduates for taking full-time employment.
The program targets those aged 29 or younger who graduated last year and have been working for the same employer for at least three months, the ministry said.
Many young people begin working in their last year of study, so those who graduate this summer and have a full-time job covered by labor insurance since Jan. 15 are also eligible, the ministry added.
Applicants who have had the same job for three months would be awarded NT$20,000 in cash, with those staying on for six months would receive an additional NT$10,000, for a maximum of NT$30,000 per person, the ministry said in a news release.
Part-time workers are not eligible because the program’s aim is to encourage first-time jobseekers to enter full-time employment as soon as possible, as part of the government’s efforts to boost the economy, Workforce Development Agency section head Chen Shih-chang (陳世昌) said.
Starting 30 days from their hire date, graduates who are employed in labor-intensive industries with labor shortages — such as healthcare, manufacturing and construction — would receive a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for six months, the ministry said.
The award would be increased to NT$6,000 per month from the seventh to 12th months and NT$7,000 from the 13th to the 18th months, it said, adding these new hires would be awarded NT$108,000 if they kept the same job for 18 months.
Last year, 1,025 first-time jobseekers opted to work in manufacturing, while 610 chose to work in healthcare, Chen said, citing ministry statistics from last year.
About 280,000 students are graduate this summer, about 190,000 of whom are first-time jobseekers, while the rest are likely to pursue further study, the ministry said, adding that the deadline for applying online is Sept. 30.
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