活動快報

內容：

Multinational Labor Force Enhancement Program Launched on January 1, 2026 Optimizing the Foreign Skilled Workers System Allowing the Manufacturing Industry to Provide Raises to Domestic Workers and Increasing the Quota of Migrant Workers

Descriptions: In order to address the challenges brought by the low birth rate and aging population to the labor force structure, the Ministry of Labor launches the " Multinational Labor Force Enhancement Program.” The relevant laws and regulations have been implemented since January 1, 2026. The relevant measures include allowing the manufacturing industry to provide raises to domestic workers and increase the quota of migrant workers, expanding the sources of foreign skilled workers to foreign countries and lifting the retention restrictions, in order to help enterprises stabilize their HR structures and balance the raises for domestic workers and their interests and rights to seek employment concurrently.

Establish the special laws and regulations governing foreign skilled workers, define the system specifically and adopt the diversion scheme

According to the Ministry of Labor, the foreign workers engaged in the job contents authorized based on special projects under the subparagraph 11, Paragraph 1, Article 46 of the Employment Service Act, including bilingual translators, chefs and related jobs, intermediate skilled workers and hospitality service workers, have permanently applied the review standards and management regulations together with the general blue-collar migrant workers with respect to the competence, employer application conditions, employment management and allocation ratios of the foreign workers. Notwithstanding, these foreign workers shall be considered different from the migrant workers in terms of competence, seniority, life support management, and alignment with the immigration system. Therefore, it is necessary to establish special management regulations governing them separately.

The new “Regulations Governing the Qualification and Work Permit of Foreign Skilled Workers” have been in effect since January 1, 2026. Meanwhile, in response to the enactment of the Regulations, multiple laws and regulations, as well as public notices and decrees, including the “Regulations on the Permission and Administration of the Employment of Foreign Workers,” “Review Standards and Employment Qualifications for Foreign Workers Engaging in Work Specified in Subparagraphs 8 to 11, Paragraph 1, Article 46 of the Employment Service Act” and “Directions of the Employment Transfer Regulations and Employment Qualifications for Foreigners Engaging in the Jobs Specified in Subparagraph 8 to 11 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46 of the Employment Service Act,” etc. were also amended to facilitate the clear diversion and effective management of the system.

Add the hospitality service and commercial port cargo handling industry, provide raises to the domestic workers and recruit foreign skilled workers overseas

In the foreign skilled workers system, the “intermediate skilled workers” were renamed as “foreign skilled workers.” In addition to senior migrant workers who have worked in Taiwan for more than six years and overseas Chinese students holding associate degrees or above, employers are also allowed to recruit workers overseas directly to expand the talent pool. In the meantime, the skilled job categories are also expanded. In addition to the existing manufacturing industry, construction industry, agricultural industry, caregivers, fishing industry, bilingual translation and chefs, the new category, i.e. "Multi-Companion Service," is also included, and employers are also allowed to recruit the “hospitality service skilled workers” and “commercial port skilled workers” overseas in order to meet the actual needs from the industries.

For the time being, employers are allowed to hire foreign skilled workers and recruit them overseas directly to engage in the “hospitality services” and “commercial port cargo handling and distribution services.” Employers may provide a raise to their full-time domestic workers. Whenever one domestic worker is granted a raise, the employer may recruit one additional foreign skilled worker, provided that the additional foreign skilled workers shall be no more than 10% of the employees enrolled in the labor insurance program. The foreign skilled workers will be recruited via the Multinational Labor Force Recruitment Center, which is dedicated to handling the recruitment and testing of the multinational labor force, specifically implementing direct employment between countries and creating a fair and friendly environment for the multinational labor force recruitment.

Lift the regulations governing foreign skilled workers and improve the right to work and willingness to retain the post

Ministry of Labor explains that in response to the current amendments to laws, it will also lift the regulations governing the life support management, accommodation and health checkup for the skilled workers at the same time. Foreign skilled workers are allowed to arrange their own residences so that they may secure more independent living spaces and enhanced rights and interests to work. In the future, employers will no longer be obligated to take care of the workers’ life, as the workers’ life support management will be subject to mutual agreement by employers and employees, in order to create a diverse and friendly society, grant them more independent living spaces, improve the stability of their work in Taiwan and their willingness to retain the post to help them align with the permanent residency system.

Meanwhile, the frequency of health checkups available to foreign skilled workers who have stayed in Taiwan for more than 3 years will be mitigated adequately. Specifically, they only need to complete the health checkup whenever the application for employment is completed. Now, the requirement for regular health checkups during the employment period may be exempted, provided that the foreign skilled workers engaged in caregiving and multi-companion services shall still need to take the chest X-ray for tuberculosis and physical checkup once every three years.

Allow the manufacturing industry to provide raises to domestic workers and increase the quota of migrant workers, and lift the restriction on retention of foreign skilled workers comprehensively

The Ministry of Labor indicated that, in order to satisfy the manufacturing industry’s need for recruitment of sufficient junior workers and also take into account the improvement of the domestic workers’ wages, the new additional quota allocation mechanism for migrant workers of the manufacturing industry is established accordingly. Under the existing 3K5 system (10%~35$) and the Extra system (additional Employment Stability Fee increasing by 5%~20%, but no more than 40%), employers may provide a raise to their full-time domestic workers. Whenever one domestic worker is granted a raise, the employer may recruit one additional migrant worker under the existing quota allocation system, provided that the additional workers shall be no more than 10% of the employees enrolled in the labor insurance program, and said limit is increased from 40% to 45%.

Employers engaged in the manufacturing industry are allowed to retain all senior migrant workers who meet the conditions for transfer to skilled workers. The manufacturing industry’s skilled worker allocation ratio is lifted from 25% to 100% to help the transfer of senior migrant workers retained by employers to foreign skilled workers, provided that the total number of migrant workers, foreign skilled workers and foreign professionals shall be no more than 50% of the total employees to maintain the balanced HR structure.

According to the Ministry of Labor, the announcement of and amendments to the related laws and regulations focus on the four major principles, namely “domestic workers’ interest and right as the first priority,” “enhanced HR,” “expand employment and retention of talents,” and “improved government efficiency.” By virtue of the system adjustment and insofar as the nationals’ employment is stabilized, it will supplement the labor force needed by industries proactively, facilitate enterprises’ sustainable operation and also ensure the domestic workers’ interest and right to create a more competitive and resilient job market.