The Ministry of Labor (MOL) yesterday said it is considering a new policy that would increase the number of migrant workers an employer can hire on the provision that it increases wages for local workers, in an effort to counter a national labor shortage.
Due to a declining birthrate and aging population, industries are experiencing labor shortages, with the National Development Council estimating that the nation is to face a shortage of 400,000 workers by 2030.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (長卓榮) over the past few days said that the new policy would not only allow employers to hire more foreign workers, but also increase local wages.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee met yesterday to review 76 reports on freezes for the central government’s budget for the ministry.
Domestic workers take top priority when considering policies to increase the migrant workforce, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.
We do not want to open the nation to foreign workers and see industries reduce Taiwanese workers’ salaries in response, he added.
The ministry’s ultimate goal is to protect local workers’ rights while meeting industry needs, Hung said.
Last week, the ministry paused plans to revise regulations that would have allowed foreign graduates from Taiwanese universities to work in six types of intermediate-skilled jobs, including assistant nurses, cargo vehicle drivers and inventory clerks.
The ministry would hold meetings with other departments to decide on complementary measures and ensure comprehensive policy planning, he said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS