The hospitality sector and ports could soon apply to hire migrant workers, provided they increase the monthly salary of their lowest-paid domestic workers by NT$2,000 (US$65.30) for every foreign worker hired, according to new migrant worker policies to be finalized at a Cabinet meeting today.
The 50 percent cap on the proportion of migrant workers hired would remain in place.
The policies are expected to be implemented next year, and are designed to protect the jobs and livelihoods of domestic workers.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) in a meeting with a manufacturers’ association on Oct. 16 said the government would shortly be releasing a comprehensive national workforce review.
The new policies would increase the number of migrant workers entering Taiwan, and shorten the processing time for applications to support the needs of businesses and families, he said.
No further information has been released regarding foreign domestic workers after President William Lai (賴清德) last month pledged to allow families with at least one child up to age 12 apply for a foreign domestic helper.
Currently, the policy is limited to families with two children younger than six.
The proposal is reportedly still being reviewed and would not be included in the new policy plan.
As of the end of August, Taiwan had 854,000 migrant workers, which might increase by 10,000 to 20,000 once hiring regulations are relaxed for hotels and ports.
Moreover, the Ministry of Labor is to allocate more than NT$80 million next year to establish a foreign worker recruitment center, which would send personnel abroad to recruit and train foreign technical workers.
The program would begin in the Philippines before expanding to Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, the ministry said.
It aims to ensure direct recruitment to prevent the exploitation of migrant workers, it added.
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