Premier Chen Chien-jen on Thursday received a National Development Council (NDC) briefing on the status of its Key Talent Cultivation and Recruitment Program. The premier directed the NDC to continue raising industry competitiveness by establishing Talent Taiwan, a national, one-stop service dedicated to creating an obstacle-free work and living environment for foreign professionals in Taiwan, thus motivating them to stay long-term and make deeper contributions to the nation.
To fulfill President Tsai Ing-wen's policy commitment to improve the cultivation and recruitment of digital and bilingual talent, Premier Chen called on the NDC to cooperate with related ministries and agencies to actively promote three main strategies: cultivating domestic digital talent, recruiting key international talent, and deepening bilingual capability and international perspective. The premier said the ministries and agencies' collective efforts have already yielded concrete results, and they should continue strengthening promotion of the program to raise the quality and quantity of talent in Taiwan.
Cultivating digital and bilingual talent will assist the upgrade of Taiwan's industries and their alignment with the global economy, the premier continued. To respond to the challenges of a rapidly-evolving post-COVID-19 global economy, Taiwan urgently requires high-quality talent with a global outlook and skills in digital technology and international communication, in order to ensure continued robust economic growth.
Premier Chen further explained that in recent years the government has proactively promoted a range of industrial policies and associated talent recruitment measures, eased laws and regulations, and improved Taiwan's living environment in order to better attract foreign professionals. In 2022, the number of foreign professionals residing in Taiwan rose by 8,883: the highest annual increase in a decade. Additionally, since the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals came into effect in February 2018, a total of 6,571 Employment Gold Cards have been issued to foreign professionals as of the end of 2022, facilitating the successful recruitment of heavyweight talent from Silicon Valley startups as well as top-tier talent from various industries around the world.