Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday announced that the city government has raised the minimum monthly salary of childcare providers at privately managed nurseries funded by the government to NT$38,000, and that it is working to lower the maximum childcare ratio to one adult to four children.
Chiang said he has three children, including two younger than two years old, so he understands the difficulties and stress that childcare providers experience.
“Therefore, we have good news for childcare providers — the Taipei City Government is raising the minimum salary of childcare providers to NT$38,000,” he said while visiting a public nursery in Nangang District (南港).
Photo: CNA
The minimum salary stood at NT$34,000 before the central government raised it to NT$35,485 last year. The city government raised it further to NT$38,000, retroactive to January.
“Moreover, the [maximum] child-to-provider ratio will be lowered from 5:1 to 4:1,” he said. “It is to reduce the childcare providers’ burden and improve education and care quality,” he said.
There are currently 81 privately managed, publicly funded childcare facilities in the city, and the city government hopes to increase the number to 103 by 2026, and the care capacity from about 1,700 to about 2,200 young children.
“As we increase the number of public childcare facilities, we hope to improve the working conditions of childcare providers, so they can have less concerns when taking care of children,” he said.
An estimated 512 childcare providers should benefit from the salary increase, he said.
Chiang added that discussions abound about artificial intelligence (AI) systems replacing human workers in certain jobs, but the experience and professional abilities of childcare providers, including their affection, can never be replaced by AI systems, so the city hopes to improve their working conditions and nurture more excellent childcare staff.
Separately, the mayor was asked to comment on Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chien Hsu-pei’s (簡舒培) report that a Chinese temporary worker at the city government had uploaded several short videos of Chiang at different events to Douyin (抖音), the Chinese version of TikTok, accompanied by a hashtag “The two sides of the Strait are one family.”
Chiang said that based on the city government’s understanding, the worker was hired by the city’s health department in August last year using the Ministry of Labor’s job matching site.
The worker only handled general affairs and transportation-
related work, and did not deal with confidential data, he said, adding that she has left the job.
He said the city government would also remind city workers not to conduct non-work-related activities at work.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS