Girard Mariano Lopezby Girard Mariano Lopez
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Photo Credit: Girard Mariano Lopez
LABOR GROUPS rallied at the Ministry of Labor to call for an end to the 12-to-14-year working limit for migrant workers last Sunday, May 18, 2025. They also demanded reform of the long-term retention scheme for “mid-level skilled workers” as well as the promotion of direct hiring and gradual abolishment of the broker system.
Fajar, the head of the Indonesian caretakers’ union Serikat Buruh Industri Perawatan Taiwan (SBIPT), pointed out that such limits are a form of discrimination, as such working-year limits do not exist for foreign white-collar workers in the country. Migrant workers are required to leave the country after working for 12 years, or 14 years for caretakers whose employers apply for an extension.
Photo credit: Girard Mariano Lopez
“The reality is that the limitation on the length of service remains and has not fundamentally changed,” SBIPT representative Arrey said, “Since the enactment of the Labor Standards Act in May 1992, there is still a system of unfair discrimination against migrant workers.”
In April 2022, Taiwan enacted a long-term retention scheme that allows migrant workers to be upgraded as “mid-level skilled workers” and stay in Taiwan beyond the 12-to-14-year limit. However, critics point out that the system is largely still dependent on the migrant workers’ brokers and employers, with workers themselves having no say on their status. They say that in reality, most “skilled migrant workers” receive a measly pay bump not far from the current minimum wage for migrant workers and are required to do more laborious work. Furthermore, migrant worker groups say that qualifications in order for one to be upgraded as a “mid-level skilled worker” are too strict, a point also echoed by the Control Yuan last year.
Photo credit: Girard Mariano Lopez
“Workers must shoulder huge fees just to qualify, turning so-called ‘retention’ into a debt trap and not a benefit,” Migrante Taiwan vice-chairperson Robert Owen Ganado said, “Only employers can apply for a workers’ retention. Migrant workers have no control over their own future.”
Additionally, worker groups present in the rally also questioned the qualifications of what makes work considered “skilled”, and that even such mid-level skilled workers are still subjected to the broker system. They also expressed dismay at the high-salary requirements in order for one to obtain permanent residency, which most migrant workers do not earn. Under current regulations, a person may only qualify for permanent residency if they earn twice the current monthly minimum wage.
Photo credit: Girard Mariano Lopez
“We already spent tens of thousands on training and certifications even before coming here, yet Taiwan still refuses to recognize us as skilled,” National Domestic Workers’ Union director Francia Balderama said, “We toil in factories, power the economy, and keep the care sector alive for years, only to be branded second-class labor. We demand our rightful “skilled” status under Taiwan’s Mid-level Skilled Foreign Workers Program now, with no more excuses!”
While a representative of the labor ministry came to accept the worker groups’ petition, it did not give an immediate statement, prompting heckles from activists pressuring the ministry to take a clear stand. However, in an article by the Central News Agency of Taiwan, the labor ministry later asserted that if such working limits were eliminated, it would render the retention program useless and deprive migrant workers of the opportunity to upgrade their residency status.
Photo credit: Girard Mariano Lopez
“We need migrant workers. It’s very clear that no matter whether the factory workers or the fishermen or the caregivers. We already don’t have enough manpower,” Serve The People Association director Lennon Wang said. “So actually, the Taiwan government should really consider opening up the channel for them to stay longer.”