The Ministry of Labor (MOL) would implement measures before July to meet the increased demand for migrant caregivers, following new legislation promulgated in January, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) told legislators today.
It is estimated that the amendments would render an additional 530,000 Taiwanese eligible to hire migrant caregivers, Hung said, adding that 100,000 are expected to apply for care under the new law.
At the end of last year, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) allowing people aged 80 and older to bypass Barthel Index-based health evaluations.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Barthel Index is a widely used tool in Taiwan to assess a person’s ability to perform daily activities in clinical practice and research.
The revision to Article 46 of the act also extended the waiver to people aged 70 to 79 with stage two or more advanced cancer, while regulations for recipients with indigenous status would be jointly established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
The president promulgated the amendment on Jan. 28.
However, the labor ministry has yet to release measures to meet the increased demand for caregivers, drawing criticism from lawmakers that it is “obstructing” the new bill and being “idle.”
Hung explained the administrative delay, saying that on Jan. 17, the labor and health ministries conducted discussions to ensure adequate care is still accessible for the families most in need.
Families with critically ill people report that migrant caregivers prefer to take “easier jobs” over “harder jobs,” and so the MOL is working to establish a dual-track application system to ensure that those most in need retain priority access to caregivers, he said.
Furthermore, once the dual track system is in place, nursing homes and care facilities for the elderly would have increased labor demands, for which the labor ministry must secure funding, increase new hires and provide training, all of which would take several months, he said.
The ministry would also need to negotiate with four source countries on how to increase migration, implement new overseas training programs and adjust associated regulations, he added.
The MOL hopes to complete these tasks within six months, he said.
The ministry is not stalling, but if these adjustments are not implemented correctly, it could have devastating effects on the hiring market, he added.
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