The government is seeking to allow the recruitment of migrant workers from a Southeast Asian nation that does not currently provide labor to Taiwan, Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) said on Wednesday.
Hsu made the remark in response to questions on whether the government plans to expand the number of countries from which Taiwan can hire migrant workers.
She confirmed that two discussions were held with representatives of the country last month to explore the possibility of making it easier for its nationals to work in Taiwan, but declined to name the nation.
Taiwan hopes to sign a memorandum of understanding with the country next year and allow recruitment by 2022, she said.
In October, there were 701,240 migrant workers in Taiwan, with 37.79 percent from Indonesia, 32.58 percent from Vietnam, 21.54 percent from the Philippines and 8.09 percent from Thailand, ministry data showed.
As of the end of October, there were 264,984 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, with 253,285 employed as caregivers and domestic workers, the data showed.
Responding to concerns that a two-week ban on Indonesian migrant workers due to a rise in imported COVID-19 cases could cause a shortage of migrant labor, Hsu said the government would mobilize all available resources to help caregiver agencies survive the temporary ban.
A Taiwanese caregiver-matching scheme operated by the ministry is also expected to ease the shortage, she said, adding that where necessary, employers of migrant workers could apply for short-term extensions for employees whose contracts are to expire.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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