The Executive Yuan announced today that Chen Hsiung-wen, deputy mayor of Taipei City, has been appointed the nation's new labor minister, taking over the post vacated by Pan Shih-wei, who resigned in July.
Chen has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's in environmental engineering from National Cheng Kung University. Early on, he worked at the Kaohsiung City Government as a sub-division chief of the Public Works Bureau and a section chief of the Environmental Protection Bureau. Later at the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), he served as director-general for various units including the Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control, the Department of Waste Management, the Department of Comprehensive Planning, and the Environmental Analysis Laboratory. He most recently served at the Taipei City Government where he was commissioner of the Department of Economic Development before rising to become deputy mayor of Taipei.
Chen specializes in environmental pollution control, industrial policy planning and administrative management. In 1994 and 2002, he was named a Model Civil Servant of the Executive Yuan, and in 2004 received an outstanding government official award from the Sun Yun-suan Foundation.
Working his way up the ranks in the central and local governments, Chen has gained comprehensive experience in public service. Under his leadership, the EPA Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control implemented the air pollution control fee as an essential foundation for improving Taiwan's air quality. As commissioner of Taipei's Department of Economic Development, Chen earned acclaim for successfully planning and implementing the spectacular 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo.
Looking ahead, the new minister of labor is expected to make strong contributions to Taiwan's labor policies and will be instrumental in furthering the missions of the Cabinet, said the Executive Yuan.