Due to the shortage of workers in Taiwan, India signed an agreement with the island on February 16, 2024, to bring in Indian migrant workers to the island.
Labour-strained Taipei seeks to expand its foreign workforce beyond its traditional source countries of Southeast Asia.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Labour said that the memorandum of understanding had been signed between each other’s de facto embassies in Taipei and Delhi. However, implementation details will still need to be worked out.
Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer but with an ageing society, is host to around 700,000 migrant workers who come mostly from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, many of whom work in either in manufacturing or as home helpers for the elderly.
The ministry also said demand for workers in Taiwan for manufacturing, construction, agriculture and other industries has continued to expand which Taiwan is unable to fulfil itself, so demand for migrant workers has increased year by year.
According to the terms of the MoU, the Taiwanese side will decide the industries and number of Indian migrant workers to be employed.
The Indian side will recruit and train workers according to Taiwan’s needs and the employment will be per the laws and regulations of both sides.
Explaining the reasons for the signing of the MoU, the labour ministry said Taiwan had been affected by an ageing population and low birth rate, which had resulted in the working-age population and grassroots labour force shrinking sharply.
The shortage of workers in manufacturing, construction, agriculture and other industries has continued to expand, and the demand for caregivers and migrant workers too is increasing.
The approved source countries for migrant workers in Taiwan are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Employers’ associations have been calling on the Taiwan government to address the “risk of restricted source countries for migrant workers”.
A majority of members of the Legislative Yuan have requested that the government should actively develop emerging source countries for migrant workers.
Taiwan’s labour ministry noted that Indian workers are “stable, hard-working and have good reviews”.
Countries such as Germany, Italy, France, states in the Middle East, Singapore and Malaysia are actively seeking or expanding the employment of Indian workers.
“Indian workers are mostly engaged in construction, manufacturing, housework and agricultural work overseas, which meets Taiwan’s demand for migrant workers,” the statement said.
