In a bid to address workforce shortages in Taiwan, the Ministry of Labour has revised regulations to allow companies in four industries, namely manufacturing, construction, agriculture and long-term care, to hire more migrant workers than previously permitted, reports Focus Taiwan. The regulations took effect from 17 June 2023. The Ministry added that the number of migrant workers a company can hire to work in the seafood processing, tofu producing and shipbuilding industries will be increased from 15% to 20% of the total employees, because of the labour-intense nature of the sectors and the lack of automation.

The employment ratio can rise to up to 40% if the companies pay an extra ‘employment security fee’ per migrant worker they hire to the government-run Employment Security Fund, which was established to promote employment of nationals, improve labour welfare, and handle employment and management affairs involving foreign nationals.

Furthermore, in the manufacturing sector, in order to encourage the hiring of migrant workers already in Taiwan who may have lost their job, businesses can apply for an additional flexible allocation that will allow migrant workers to make up a further 5% of the workforce. The Ministry stressed that the number of migrant workers employed per company that falls into the 3K (dirty, dangerous and demanding) industries must not exceed 40% of the total workforce.