《TAIPEI TIMES》 Amendment to ease replacing runaway workers

By Lin Hsin-han, Kao Chia-ho and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNA

Legislation that would make it easier for employers to replace migrant workers who left their job without notice passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan yesterday.

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Amendments to the Employment Service Act （就業服務法） would reduce the mandated time employers in the industrial sector have to wait after they file a case with the Ministry of Labor until they can rehire a migrant worker to three months from six months.

For employers of live-in migrant caregivers or helpers, the period would be shortened to one month from three months.

During that period, employers of live-in migrant caregivers or helpers would be eligible for services under the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Long-Term Healthcare 2.0 program or the respite care program, which includes transportation to and from home, and assistive devices and services to improve the accessibility of home services, the labor ministry said.

The number of migrants who leave their job without notifying their employer has been increasing over the past few years, affecting industrial employers and families relying on migrant workers.

In 2020, 709,123 migrant workers were registered with the labor ministry, of which 19,324, or 2.7 percent, had been reported as missing.

The number of registered migrant workers increased 2.7 percent to 728,081 last year, while the number of missing workers more than doubled, to 41,203, or 5.7 percent of the total.

The largest group of missing workers were Vietnamese, with nearly 34,000, far surpassing 2.7 percent for Indonesians and 0.3 percent for Filipinos.

About 2,000 businesses and 1,000 families would benefit from the amendment, the legislature said.

Data from the National Immigration Agency and the labor ministry showed that as of late last year, 507,000 migrants worked in factories and 221,000 in the social welfare sector.

The largest group of workers were Vietnamese, with 256,000, followed by 200,100 Indonesians and 154,000 Filipinos, the data showed.

Vietnamese also topped the ranking of factory workers, with 228,000, followed by 126,000 Filipinos and 84,000 Indonesians, it showed.

Indonesians ranked first in the social welfare sector, with 165,000 workers, followed by 28,000 Filipinos and 27,000 Vietnamese, the data showed.

Labor ministry officials said there are no official data on the reason migrant workers leave their workplace without notice.

However, the most common reasons are likely a desire for higher wages, unsatisfactory work conditions and disagreements with their employers, they said.

A separate ministry official said that tight-knit social networks among migrant workers make it difficult for officials to rein in illicit activities.

Additional reporting by Wang Kuan-jen

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES