The government will continue pushing a wide range of flexible and creative policies to make full use of the nation's human resources, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today after hearing the Ministry of Labor's (MOL) briefing on achievements and prospects in labor rights promotion.
In the past eight years, the MOL's policies and measures have included raising minimum wages five times; reducing statutory working hours from 84 every two weeks to 40 per week; launching the Labor Insurance Pension scheme and offering parental leave allowance; amending the Labor Union Act, the Collective Agreement Act, the Act for Settlement of Labor-Management Disputes, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act; and establishing the Labor Rights and Interests Fund. As a result of these efforts, the rate of occupational injuries has dropped to an all-time low of 3.5 per 1,000 workers, and the unemployment rate has slid to 3.77 percent for the first 11 months of 2015 from a high of 5.85 percent during the 2009 financial crisis.
The nation faces a labor shortage arising from a dwindling birth rate and a rapidly aging population, Premier Mao said. He requested the MOL to build on current foundations and push "people-centered" policies so that workers can share in the fruits of economic development. Solutions to the labor shortage should also be devised as early as possible to raise national competitiveness.
To boost job opportunities for domestic workers, the government has endeavored to improve employment services, youth employment, occupational training and labor skills, the MOL said. To recruit and retain talent from abroad, hiring regulations have been relaxed and a point-assessment system is being used to attract professionals, senior technicians, and foreign and overseas Chinese students.