The government yesterday unveiled plans to tackle a labor shortage by encouraging students from Southeast Asian countries to work in Taiwan.
The program, a joint effort by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the National Development Council (NDC), would seek up to 25,000 students from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries to work in Taiwan for two or four years following two years of training, the Industrial Development Bureau said in a statement.
The program would subsidize their tuition fees and other expenses, it said.
Photo: Lin Ching-hua, Taipei Times
The program was announced following a meeting of government officials and industry representatives attended by Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) and NDC Deputy Minister Jan Fang-guan (詹方冠), as well as representatives from the Taipei-based Chinese National Federation of Industries, the General Chamber of Commerce of the ROC, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, the Taipei Computer Association, the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry and others.
The council said it estimates that the labor force would fall short of industry needs by about 350,000 people by 2028 and by as much as 480,000 by 2030.
A survey conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs last month showed that 1,000 of 24,000 companies were eager to hire foreign talent to fill about 5,000 vacancies.
About 19,000 international students enroll in institutes of higher education in Taiwan each year, with nearly 47 percent staying in Taiwan following graduation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
To increase that number, it would cooperate with the Ministry of Education, the council and other agencies to match Taiwanese companies with potential recruits, it said.
“We would also help international students understand the workplace in Taiwan and further train their professional abilities to meet the needs of companies here,” it said. “After graduating, students can enter the workforce and contribute with what they have learned.”
Tuition and miscellaneous fees for those recruited through the program would be provided by the government, while living allowances would be provided by companies cooperating with the program, it said.
Previous efforts to recruit international students were not successful as it had worked with companies’ human resource directors who lacked decisionmaking power, it said, adding that going forward it would work with chief executive officers.
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