migrant workers in Taiwan

Will the Ministry of Labor’s New Guidelines Improve Conditions Facing Female Migrant Workers?

Brian Hioe
The Ministry of Labor has released new guidelines on the rights of female migrant workers. Nevertheless, it is to be seen whether the guidelines rectify a longstanding problem in Taiwanese society. One issue of note facing female migrant workers is that many have their work terminated after becoming pregnant. 6,000 female migrant workers become pregnant in Taiwan each year, but 78% of migrant workers who receive maternity benefits end their contracts and return to their home countries...
EnglishJanuary 2025LaborRaceSocial Movements5 min read

Tsai Administration Defends Labor Ties with India

Brian Hioe
The Tsai administration has defended a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between the Taiwanese government and the Indian government about allowing Indians to work as migrant workers in Taiwan. Namely, in past months, as the two governments finalized the signing of the MoU and the finalization of the draft MoU was reported on in Taiwan, there was a wave of backlash against the prospect...
EnglishFebruary 2024Politics5 min read

Taiwan, Be on the Right Side of History When It Comes to Labor Migration

Bonny Ling
A few months before the presidential elections, I gave a talk in Taipei on the responsible recruitment of migrant workers, where they do not bear the cost of their job recruitment and begin their employment saddled by debt. Afterwards, a participant came up to ask me which presidential candidate I thought would stand the best chance to reform Taiwan’s labour recruitment system towards the Employers Pays Principle, where the costs of recruitment are borne by the employers...
EnglishFebruary 2024LaborSocial Movements12 min read

One Thousand March in Taipei Calling For End To Broker System

Girard Mariano Lopez
During International Human Rights Day on December 10th, an estimated one thousand migrant workers from Southeast Asia together with Taiwanese labor and human rights activists marched on the streets of Taipei for the second biannual migrant worker rally with the theme “No Justice in Cross-Border Employment, Where is the Responsibility of the Government?”. The protest was to call for the abolishment of the private broker system and direct government to government hiring between Taiwan and the nation of origin, as well as strengthened public services for migrant workers especially for those that face abuse from employers...
December 2023EnglishLaborSocial Movements7 min read