The Ministry of Labor yesterday reminded Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) holders covered by changes introduced at the turn of the year to make sure their employer has enrolled them in employment insurance.
“Before the change, only Taiwanese citizens and foreign spouses married to Taiwanese nationals were covered by employment insurance. Other foreign nationals could not enroll,” Department of Labor Insurance Director Chen Mei-nu (陳美女) told a news conference in Taipei.
Following a change in the law on Jan. 1, three categories of foreign professionals in Taiwan with permanent residency are now required to enroll in employment insurance, which would entitle them to certain benefits.
Photo: Screen grab from the Web site of the Administration for the Digital Industries
The three groups are “foreign professionals,” meaning those employed in white-collar jobs; “foreign specialist professionals,” referring to people with expertise specially needed in Taiwan, many of whom qualify for the Employment Gold Card; and “foreign senior professionals,” those recognized for outstanding achievements in a field of “excellence.”
Chen said the change was part of Taiwan’s efforts to “recruit the professional talent needed for national economic development,” adding that employment insurance benefits include unemployment benefits and parental leave allowances.
She said that such benefits help protect workers’ basic livelihood for a certain period when they are “involuntarily unemployed” or on unpaid parental leave.
However, if people in those three categories later have their permanent residency permits revoked or nullified, they would lose their right to receive benefits from the insurance, Chen said.
With the rule having taken effect, Chen reminded employers to enroll such workers in employment insurance either upon hiring or once they obtain permanent residency.
The Bureau of Labor Insurance is currently prioritizing guidance over enforcement, and no penalties are being imposed at this stage for failing to do so, she added.
By the end of February, 1,633 foreign professionals had been automatically enrolled in employment insurance, Chen said.
Department section chief Huang Ci-fang (黃琦鈁) said that the automatic enrollment was carried out by cross-checking data from government agencies, including the National Immigration Agency and the Workforce Development Agency.
She added that the Bureau of Labor Insurance had received several reports that certain eligible foreign professionals had not been included in the process.
Huang said the automatic enrollment was a one-time measure and would not be carried out again, advising anyone unsure of their enrollment status to contact the bureau for confirmation.
Currently, eligible employed workers aged 15 and above, but under 65 are covered by employment insurance.
Premiums are calculated based on an insured worker’s monthly salary, using a 1 percent premium rate, with workers paying 20 percent, employers 70 percent and the government covering 10 percent.
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