Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor is planning to ease restrictions on foreigners working in tourism and hospitality, Taiwan News reported on June 26.
To encourage foreign students to stay and work on the island, the ministry will allow them to work in semi-skilled positions in the hospitality industry. For example, maids, cleaners, room and restaurant reservations.
The final requirements will be formulated after discussion with the tourism department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
By incorporating these innovations into the points system, the ministry hopes to keep around 1,000 foreign students on the island each year. Currently, 5,000 to 6,000 foreign students stay to work in Taiwan each year based on the points system.
Recently, 17,000 students have remained working on the island with an average salary of $1,000. 717 of them are in the hotel sector.
Currently, Taiwan has restrictions that allow students to work in the hospitality and tourism industry only in management positions after completing their studies. Students can gain experience through internships or part-time programs during their studies.
The points system allows them to remain in administrative positions. Now the island’s Ministry of Labour is seeking to lower this bar and allow them to work in mid-level positions.
The director of the labor development agency, Chen Shijian, stated that by 2030 Taiwan will have a deficit of 400,000 workers. In recent years, foreigners using a points system have covered almost 90% of the quota allowed by the authorities.
Moreover, the quota increases every year as it approaches 100%. However, some foreign students complained that these quotas prevented them from finding jobs on the island and employers were unwilling to hire them. This data is provided by the light on the affairs of the foreign community in Taiwan.
Let’s remember that an aging population is a serious problem for Taiwan. The island’s leaders see recruiting immigrants from abroad as one way to solve this problem. The working-age population is declining amid falling birth rates and an aging population.
The government intends to focus on three areas to address the problem: strengthening the search for highly qualified foreign administrative specialists, attracting and retaining more foreign students, especially those of Chinese origin, and attracting and retaining migrant workers who are simultaneously pursuing studies in Taiwan, including university.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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