TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor on Tuesday (June 25) said it would be easing its work restrictions in the travel and hospitality industry for foreign and overseas Taiwanese students upon graduation.
To encourage them to stay and work in Taiwan, the ministry will allow them to work in semi-skilled positions in the hospitality industry, including housekeeping, cleaning, reservations, and restaurant service, before the end of August. The ministry aims to retain around 1,000 foreign and overseas Taiwanese students annually in the hospitality industry by integrating this new policy with the existing points system.
Around 5,000 to 6,000 foreign and overseas Taiwanese students stay in Taiwan every year through the points system. To date, 17,079 students have remained, with an average salary of NT$35,000 (US$1,000). Among them, 717 are working in the hospitality industry.
Discussions will be held with the Ministry of Economic Affairs about the food and beverage industry. In the long term, the ministry plans to propose legal amendments to allow foreign students and overseas Taiwanese to obtain personal work permits without restrictions on industry or salary thresholds, reported China Times.
Workforce Development Agency Chief Secretary Chen Shih-chang (陳世昌) said on Tuesday the National Development Council projects a workforce shortfall of 400,000 by 2030 in Taiwan, reported CNA. Therefore, encouraging foreign and overseas Taiwanese students to stay and work has become a critical source of manpower.
Considering that foreign and overseas Taiwanese students can accumulate work experience through internships or part-time jobs while studying in Taiwan, and graduates can pursue white-collar jobs under the existing points system, the ministry aims to expand their employment opportunities in mid-level jobs. This includes opening positions in housekeeping, cleaning, reception, and restaurant service for students with associate degrees or higher.
Chuang Kuo-liang (莊國良), deputy head of the Workforce Development Agency’s Cross-Border Workforce Affairs Center, was cited by CNA as saying that under current regulations, foreign and overseas Taiwanese students are restricted to managerial roles in the travel and hospitality industry.
The specifics of salary and technical requirements for mid-level roles in hospitality open to foreign and overseas Taiwanese students will be finalized in consultation with the Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
In addition, Chen said that in recent years almost 90% of the annual quota for foreign and overseas Taiwanese under the points system has been filled. Every year, before reaching full capacity, the quotas are adjusted upwards.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council and overseas Taiwanese and foreign students have often expressed concerns that these quotas limit their ability to work in Taiwan and deter employers from hiring them.
Under the evaluation points system established in 2014, students have to be employed in one of 15 designated occupations. They must also accrue at least 70 points across eight criteria before they can be included in the quota system. Criteria for evaluation include educational background, salary, work experience, and Mandarin proficiency.
Following inter-agency coordination, the labor ministry will ease regulations by canceling the annual quota on the number of students allowed to work under the points system.
