The Cabinet on Thursday pledged NT$1 billion (US$32.5 million) to fund a program to ease labor shortages in the tourism, hospitality, logistics and agricultural sectors.
The program aims to help recruit 20,000 workers over one year by giving payments to workers or providing subsidies to employers, Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said.
Tsai said that the affected sectors face difficulty recruiting enough workers because of low salaries, distant workplaces or poor working environments.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Labor said it seeks to increase the labor participation rate of people aged 55 to 64, which is lower than in Japan and South Korea.
Tsai said the ministry would consult with industry associations to identify job opportunities and use its employment services to help match suitable workers with employers.
The Cabinet program includes monthly cash payments to workers younger than 45 of NT$6,000 each over one year if they find a full-time job through the program, Tsai said.
Workers aged 45 to 65 would receive NT$10,000 per month, he added.
The payments would be increased by NT$3,000 if their job is in a remote area, such as Hualien and Taitung counties, and outlying islands.
People aged 45 to 65 who take up a part-time job would receive NT$5,000 per month, plus NT$1,500 if the job is in a remote area, Tsai said.
The program also includes subsidies for companies that offer training to new recruits and upgrade certain equipment with the aim of improving their working environment, Tsai said.
Deputy Minister of Labor Chen Ming-jen (陳明仁) said the program’s goal to match 20,000 people with jobs does not represent the number of job vacancies in the service industries.
However, he did not answer questions about the seriousness of the labor shortage, saying only that the ministry is monitoring the situation.
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