• Last updated:2021-11-03

Policies & Regulations

• The Ministry of Labor Amends and Promulgates the Enforcement Rules of the Labor Standards Act in Accordance with the Policy of Reducing Statutory Working Hours, to become Effective on January 1, 2016

  Following the reduction of working hours from 84 hours over 2 weeks to 40 hours per week and workers having an additional 13 days off during the year starting January 1, 2016, the Ministry of Labor amended Article 23 of the “Enforcement Rules of the Labor Standards Act”. The article deals with commemorative holidays (commonly known as national holidays), and the new change reduces the number of holidays from 19 to 12. Overall, the number of annual holidays for workers increases by 6. The reduction of public holidays this time followed the practice when working hours were reduced for public sector employees. However, the Ministry has kept Labor Day on May 1 as a holiday because it is a day of great significance for workers.

• To Ensure Worker Safety when Hazardous Chemicals are Used, Full Implementation of the Hazardous Chemicals Classification and Labelling System will become Effective on January 1, 2016

  According to statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO), approximately 60% of all occupational injuries are caused by hazardous chemicals. Approximately 19,000 types of hazardous chemicals are being handled in Taiwan. Petrochemical and technology industries use the largest amount and most varieties of these chemicals, with more than one million workers involved. In order to ensure worker safety, the Ministry of Labor implemented the “Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)” on January 1, 2016; this is an important milestone in Taiwan’s promotion of chemical safety and management. Companies will have a one-year transitional period before they have to comply with it fully. Suppliers and employers which manufacture and import hazardous chemicals must provide clear labels showing ingredients, relevant warnings, and preventative measures in accordance with GHS. This makes safety information readily available and promotes safe chemical management, education, and training, which helps safeguard the health and safety of workers.

• Workers can Apply for Unemployment Benefits if the Reason for Employment Termination is Employer Relocation

  To protect labor rights, the Ministry of Labor has interpreted recently that if a worker voluntarily resigns because of employer relocation, it is still considered involuntary employment termination under the Employment Insurance Act regardless of whether or not the employer has provided the necessary assistance. Therefore, workers can still apply for unemployment benefits during the period of unemployment.

News Outlook

• The Ministry of Labor Assists Enterprises with Human Resource Upgrades and Transition to “Productivity 4.0”

  Beginning in 2016, in order to encourage enterprises to become actively involved in the Executive Yuan's “Taiwan Productivity 4.0 Initiative” while taking into account their individual business strategies or development needs and to promote the transition to intelligent production to increase international competitiveness, the Ministry of Labor's “Enterprises Human Resource Upgrade Plan” will give priority to increasing subsidies for Productivity 4.0 courses and other measures. This is done to counsel enterprises on their employee planning and training while helping them invest in human resources to upgrade their industries. Applications are being accepted starting on December 15, 2015.

• Utilizing Big Data: an Analysis of Employment Situation among Graduates of Higher Educational Institutions and MOL’s Responsive Policies and Measures

  After databases from different government ministries had been integrated into an inter-ministerial database in 2014, the Ministry of Labor established the “College Graduates Employment Tracking System” (hereinafter referred to as the System) in order to understand the employment trends of college graduates and to provide a basis for planning youth employment policies. 

• Global Economic Prospects for 2016 and Labor Fund Investment Planning

  The United States is expected to adopt a strategy of raising interest rates gradually while Europe and Japan are expected to continue with their programs of quantitative easing. Global financial markets are expected to be an environment governed by loose monetary policies, and stock markets are expected to rise slowly and steadily. It will be difficult for long-term bond yields to rise significantly, and the appreciation of the US dollar should slow down. In addition, China’s implementation of its “Thirteen-Five” (13th five-year plan) and adjustments to its economic structure will affect global economic performance. Also, the lifting of Iran’s economic sanctions and the resumption of US oil exports increase concerns about oversupply of oil globally. There are still many uncertain factors and challenges facing financial markets worldwide.

• Source:Department of General Planning
• Publication Date:2016-02-29
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