Some 430,000 foreign workers are now working in Taiwan, according to statistics released by Taiwan’s Council of Labour Affairs (CLA). Out of the total foreign employees in Taiwan, about 280,000 persons are engaged in industrial sector. Both figures are new high records. However, entrepreneurs have expressed shortage of workers, forcing CLA to expand quota on bringing in foreign workers to work in the so-called ‘3K’ industrial works (Kitsui Kitanai Kiken or Difficult, Dirty, Dangerous) by 40 per cent. But different of opinions between business entrepreneurs and CLA persists.
Some 430,000 foreign workers are now working in Taiwan, according to statistics released by Taiwan’s Council of Labour Affairs (CLA). Out of the total foreign employees in Taiwan, about 280,000 persons are engaged in industrial sector. Both figures are new high records. However, entrepreneurs have expressed shortage of workers, forcing CLA to expand quota on bringing in foreign workers to work in the so-called ‘3K’ industrial works (Kitsui Kitanai Kiken or Difficult, Dirty, Dangerous) by 40 per cent. But different of opinions between business entrepreneurs and CLA persists.
Entrepreneurs have earlier requested CLA to be lenient and allow more foreign workers to enter the country. CLA has prepared to increase the quota to five different levels — 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 35%. The revised quota is obtained from the multiplication of percentage with the number of local labourers who are members of insured workers fund. Major businesses will see their quota in hiring foreign workers reduced one per cent against employing of every 1,000 local workers. For instance, a business with 1,000 local workers will receive a quota in hiring foreign workers of 10 per cent; a business with 1,000 – 2,000 local workers will receive a quota of 9 per cent; a business with 2,000 – 3,000 local workers will receive a quota of 8 per cent; while a a business with more than 3,000 local workers will receive a quota of 7 per cent.
In order to enable business enterprises to be able to employ more foreign workers, CLA will at this stage scrap the quota and will allow them to employ foreign workers at the rate of 10 per cent, similar to quota now enjoyed by medium and small-sized enterprises. This would help industrial players facing labour shortage. The revision is expected to be implemented this September and would assist 78 major factories now employing more than 1,000 locals to hire 2,087 foreign workers.
Because of the revised measure, the Medium and Small-Sized Industrial Operators Association expressed that discussions are needed among concerned parties. It suggested the government to carefully analyse the problem of labour shortage.
The Taiwan Labour Front Association said that employers have always complained on labour shortage and demanded to bring in foreign workers in the past. It charged that the employers failed to pay salary to foreign workers as agreed and instead used them in reducing production costs. The association also asked CLA to help business enterprises in improving office environment in order to help increase demand of employing the locals as it could help solve labour shortage problem in the country.
