A program set up in March to support workers in three struggling sectors would be expanded to help people furloughed due to tariffs imposed by the US, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said on Wednesday.
The decision to expand the program was reached during a meeting of the Employment Stabilization Initiative Advisory
Committee earlier this month, Hung said.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
The Ministry of Labor is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to determine which sectors should be included in the expanded program, with the decision to be based on the potential impact of the tariffs on each sector, Hung said.
Funding for the expanded part of the program would come from the NT$15 billion (US$468.5 million) earmarked as part of a NT$93 billion relief package first announced on April 4 to mitigate economic shocks from the tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2.
Those tariffs were later paused for 90 days, with most countries except China facing a blanket import duty of 10 percent, but it remains unclear what the final tariff rate would be.
The original program, initiated on March 24, provides support to workers at companies that manufacture rubber products, machinery, or parts and components for vehicles who have been furloughed for at least 30 days.
Under the program, they are eligible to apply for a subsidy of up to NT$8,700 per month.
Once the program is expanded to cover tariff-affected sectors, applicants would have to meet three new eligibility criteria, Hung said.
They would have to work for a company registered with the International Trade Administration, present documented proof that their company has exported goods to the US in the previous three years and show that their company’s exports have suffered due to the tariffs, he said.
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