• Last updated:2021-11-03

Quarterly Focus

• The Council of Labor Affairs Administrative Report for 2010

   

  The 2008 financial tsunami struck a blow atTaiwan’s economy but the island’s employment is now recovering, with the unemployment rate by the end of October,2010 diminishing steadily to 4.92%. Jobs have expanded significantly. During the January- October of 2010 the work force averaged 11,058,000 and the average labor participation rate was 58.06%, with 66.5% for men and 49.87% for women respectively. Company hiring has increased along with the economic upturn, with average employment of 10,470,000 during the January- October of 2010; services accounted for 6,164,000 of that total, industry for 3,756,000, and agriculture for 550,000. 

   

Policies & Regulations

• Implementation and Adjustment of Taiwan’s Basic Wage

   

  Regulations for Deliberation of Basic Wage based afore, was established on Jan. 13, 1988 and has undergone four times revisions, three of which involved the organization of the relevant committee. Firstly, the committee members were government officials, but memberships were gradually reorganized into equal numbers of representatives from labor, management, and public interest of the society. On Aug. 31, 2010, the most recent revision stipulates that the Basic Wage Deliberation Committee should, in principle, be reviewed in the third quarter of each year and has 21 members, seven each from the labor, management, and governmental, academic, expert sectors.

   

• Banning Employment Discrimination, and Protective Measures

   

  Equality is a core value that is espoused by international labor organizations everywhere. It is also a basic right that is granted by the ROC Constitution. In 1997 the European Union approved the Amsterdam Treaty, placing age, disability, sexual orientation, and non-full-time workers within the scope of legal protection and prohibiting discrimination by employers. In addition, in June of 2007 the International Labor Organization issued a global report on the banning of job discrimination and the promotion of job equality, presenting a new concept of discrimination and reflecting the international trend toward anti-discrimination.

   

• Building a Friendly Workplace Family-care Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave Systems Instituted

   

  The Gender Equality in Employment Act was implemented on Mar. 8, 2002 with the purpose of maintaining gender equality in the workplace and providing a friendly workplace environment. In the eight years since then the performance of enterprises in banning sex discrimination, preventing sexual harassment, and promoting employment equality has been better than before the law’s implementation. The ratio of enterprises now providing maternity leave is 96.9% and the ratio of those with paternity leave is 57.3%. From these figures it is obvious that enterprises have made progress in creating a working environment with gender equality.

   

• Reinforcement of the Skills  Certification System National Technician Skills Certification: Now and in the Future

   

  Taiwan’s technician skills certification system has performed well ever since its implementation in 1974. Over the 36-year developpment of the system the trades have increased from one to 200, and the number of persons tested annually has soared from over 2,000 to more than 760,000. By the end of October 2010, a total of 4,982,090  Technician Certificates have been issued.

   

News Outlook

• New Scheme Aims to Reinforce of Worker Skills

   

  The “Scheme of Assisting Pre-Employment Training for Enterprises” is a new type of vocational training program that combines “selecting talent,” “cultivating talent,” and “using talent.” Introduced by the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, Council of Labor Affairs in August of 2010, this new vocational training measure integrates the input of public resources with the manpower demands of the private sector, and aims to meet the needs of employing organizations. By enhancing the employment skills of the unemployed and reducing the technology gap, the program will help job-seekers enter the workplace quickly and assist employing organizations in finding the manpower they need.

   

• Emphasizing Gender Equality and Achieving Gender Mainstreaming

   

  On Sept. 16, 2010 the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) announced a “Council of Labor Affairs Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Plan (2010-2013)” aimed mainly at implanting gender perspectives in problem analysis; formulation of laws, policies, and programs; and allocation of resources by the different agencies. The program is also designed to strengthen gender impact assessment in the revision of medium- and long-term plans as well as legal cases, and to show gender perspectives in the CLA’s policies and budgets.

   

• Help for Workers Affected by Trade Liberalization

   

  Under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) that was signed byTaiwanand mainlandChinaon June 29 and took effect on Sept. 12, 2010, Taiwan-made products are given tariff preferences inChina. This makes it less necessary for Taiwanese manufacturers to move production toChinaand lessens their dependence on that country, and thus creates more job opportunities at home. Further,Taiwan’s investment environment is more stable and transparent thanChina’s; so the signing of ECFA will encourage more companies fromAmerica, Europe, and Japan to invest in the island, and will attract multinational enterprises to useTaiwanas an investment platform for entry intoEast Asia. This will create yet more jobs inTaiwan.

   

• Golden Wingspan Awards Recognize Performance in Hiring People with disabilities

   

  To help those with disabilities find jobs, People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act stipulates that public and private sectors of a certain size must hire disabled persons. A total of 12,247 additional disabled persons have entered the workforce in the year since the new system was instituted, and to express gratitude to the organizations that hired them the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) held a Golden Wingspan Awards ceremony on Oct. 22. Forty-eight outstanding public and private organizations and 18 outstanding vocational rehabilitation services professionals were for people with disabilities recognized for their contribution during the year.

   

• Source:Department of General Planning
• Publication Date:2010-08-31
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