The government is to start accepting applications on Aug. 1 from construction companies seeking to hire more migrant workers in a bid to alleviate a labor shortage, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said yesterday.
Initially, the government would approve the employment of up to 8,000 migrant construction workers, but the number might be increased to 15,000, based on demand, Lin said in a statement.
About 1,900 construction firms are expected to take advantage of the new policy, when it is launched, he said.
Photo: CNA
The Construction and Planning Agency would work closely with the National Immigration Agency and construction associations to provide assistance to incoming migrant construction workers and help them adapt to life in Taiwan, he said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) would also increase its efforts to raise awareness among employers in the construction industry on the proper management of migrant workers and would crack down harder on any unlawful employment in that field, he said.
The Aug. 1 start date for applications was announced in the wake of the Ministry of Labor’s decision in the middle of last month to relax the restrictions on the recruitment of migrant workers in four sectors — institutions that need long term caregivers, and the manufacturing, construction and agricultural industries — to tackle the labor shortage.
The government allows the employment of migrant construction workers only on public work projects valued at no less than NT$100 million (US$3.21 million) and on urban renewal projects valued at a minimum of NT$200 million.
However, the field is being expanded given the current decline in Taiwan’s workforce, which is partly due to the country’s falling birthrate and aging society, Lin said.
Nonetheless, construction companies would be required to meet specific requirements to hire migrant workers, he said.
The conditions include maintaining a specific ratio of Taiwanese to migrant workers, as mandated by the government, Lin said.
The employment of migrant workers under the new policy would be limited to integrated, dedicated and civil engineering construction firms that have worked on projects valued at 10 times their paid-in capital each year, on average, over the past three years, he said.
According to the ministry, integrated and dedicated construction applicants need to hire no less than 10 local laborers and the civil engineering contractors need to hire no less than five local workers to become a qualified applicants, while the ceiling of migrant workers would be set at up to 30 percent of their workforce.
Moreover, such companies have could increase the ratio to 40 percent by paying an extra employment security fee, the ministry said.
To access this allocation of migrant workers, employers would also need confirmation from the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Industry Development Bureau and proof of job openings from public employment services agencies, while paying the employment security fee of NT$3,500 for each migrant worker per month, Lin said.
The labout ministry has stressed that the number of migrant workers employed per company that falls into industries it deems to be difficult must not exceed 40 percent of the total workforce.
According to the Construction Industry Act (營造業法), integrated construction firms are those that carry out and manage construction and repair works, while dedicated construction firms are those that handle special construction projects.
Civil engineering contractors are classified as those that do small comprehensive construction and repair works in local and adjacent areas, according to the act.
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