To make Taiwan and its industries more competitive, it is essential to build a friendlier environment that attracts and retains foreign workers, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today at the Cabinet's weekly meeting.
Amid a strong global demand for talent, Taiwan is facing a brain drain as well as a declining work population, which is driving domestic and foreign investors away and causing businesses to cut jobs in Taiwan, Premier Mao said after the Ministry of Labor's (MOL) briefing on foreign recruitment measures.
Highlighting the demographic challenges facing Taiwan, including low birth rates and an aging society, the premier said that the working-age population (ages 15 to 64) is expected to shrink by 180,000 a year beginning 2016. Over the past decade, meanwhile, Taiwan has been losing 20,000 to 30,000 white-collar workers to other countries each year.
In response, Taiwan will gradually ease regulations to attract more white-collar professionals, blue-collar workers, and overseas Chinese or foreign students already in the country, Premier Mao said. Specific measures include using a points-based evaluation mechanism, loosening employment restrictions for foreign workers' spouses and children, and amending regulations on residency, permanent residency and naturalization. Initially, the number of foreign workers allowed will be kept low so as not to affect the domestic job market. In the long run, foreign workers will be important for supplementing Taiwan's labor force and sustaining the nation's economic growth.
Premier Mao directed the MOL, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to amend these laws and regulations right away with a target date of January 2016 for implementation.
The MOL said the new points-based mechanism for hiring white-collar foreigners will be based on their education, language and professional skills, and whether the job matches government objectives. If the case totals 60 or more points, the individual will be allowed to work in Taiwan. Meanwhile, requirements on the individual's work experience and salary as well as the employer's capital and revenue will be removed.
As for overseas Chinese or foreign students wishing to remain in the country for work after graduation, they will be assessed on their education, job qualifications, and Mandarin and foreign language skills. Similarly, an assessment of 60 or more points will allow the individual to work in Taiwan, and requirements on the employer's capital and revenue will be removed.
For foreign laborers who have worked in Taiwan for over nine years, their employers can apply to hire them according to the points-based mechanism, provided they have accumulated professional experiences and have not violated major ROC laws, the MOL said.