On September 7, 2020, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) announced that starting on January 1, 2021, the monthly basic wage (minimum wage) will be adjusted from NT$23,800 to $24,000, and the hourly basic wage will be adjusted from $158 to $160.

According the Regulation for the Deliberation of Basic Wage, the adjustment in the basic wage was agreed upon by members of the Basic Wage Deliberation Committee in the fields of labor, management, politics, and academia, while considering the nation's current state of economic development, wholesale price index, consumer price index, national income, per capita income, labor productivity, employment status, wages of various industries, and socio-economic indicators such as household income and expenditures. The overall economic situation was considered comprehensively in order to decide the adjustment to the basic wage. Adjustments approved by the Basic Wage Deliberation Committee are then reported to the Executive Yuan by the MOL for approval and implementation.

The adjustment in monthly wages to $24,000 is estimated to benefit more than 1,558,500 workers (1,097,700 national workers and 460,800 foreign workers); and the adjustment in hourly wages to $160 is estimated to benefit more than 524,300 workers.

Keywords: Basic Wage, Basic Monthly Wage, Basic Hourly Wage

In order to reduce the burden of schooling for children of unemployed workers who were discharged involuntarily, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) offers education subsidies for children of unemployed workers in time with the beginning of school every year.

In view of the fact that some workers who were discharged involuntarily have just been reemployed and still bear the heavy financial burden of providing school fees for their children, in order to alleviate some of their economic pressure, the MOL has recently revised the Points for the "Implementation Directions for Subsidizing the Education of Children of Unemployed Workers" and expanded the scope of subsidy recipients. The eligibility requirements for application have been revised as follows:

I. Unemployed workers who were discharged involuntarily and have been unemployed for at least one month before the application deadline, and have been verified as such and received unemployment benefits.

II. Workers who become employed before the application deadline but were discharged involuntarily within the previous year, have been verified as such and received unemployment benefits, and whose period of employment has not exceeded three months, may still apply.

In addition to meeting one of the above conditions, the total combined income of the applicant and their spouse in the most recent tax year must be less than NT$1.48 million; the applicant must not have applied for Labor Insurance old-age benefits before the application deadline and have not participated in employment promotion measures (programs); and must have a child formally enrolled in senior high school, vocational school, college, or university.

The MOL further states that the subsidy amount per semester for a child of an unemployed worker is NT$4,000 for a child attending public senior high school or vocational school, NT$6,000 for a child attending private senior high school or vocational school, NT$13,600 for a child attending public college or university, and NT$24,000 for a child attending private college or university. In addition, unemployed workers who are sole breadwinners of the family (for example, those who are divorced or widowed, or whose spouse cannot work owing to disabilities or major illnesses) or have two or more children in college or university will receive an additional 20% in subsidies.

Keywords: Unemployed Workers, Unemployment, Tuition Subsidy

The Ministry of Labor (MOL) stated that for labor cooperatives established in accordance with the Cooperatives Act and in an employment relationship with its members, an insurance unit is to be established in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Insurance Act for employees to apply for labor insurance.

Recently, some labor cooperatives have voiced doubts about whether they can set up labor insurance units to provide insurance for their members. The MOL pointed out that in accordance with labor insurance regulations, for cooperatives with five employees or more, the insurance units are mandatory; for cooperatives with fewer than five employees, the insurance units are voluntary. Therefore, if an employment relationship exists between a labor cooperative and its members, an insurance unit should be established in accordance with regulations to provide its members with insurance; if an employment relationship does not exist and the members are self-employed workers, they should be covered by the occupational trade union they belong to for the protection of their labor insurance rights.

Keywords: Cooperatives, Labor Insurance, Employment Relationship

In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Taiwan's entry into WorldSkills International and to announce the beginning of the 50^th National Skills Competition, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) designated the week of September 17-21 as 2020 National Skills Week. A series of events have been planned and, in view of the international scale of the events, the venue was moved to Hall 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

The closing and awards ceremony was held on September 21 in Hall 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. President Tsai Ing-Wen and Labor Minister Hsu Ming-Chun both delivered speeches at the center and bestowed awards to the top three contestants. They also congratulated and gave words of encouragement to the competition's winners and finalists.

In her speech, President Tsai said that various professional skills support a wide range of industries as well as our daily lives. When receiving foreign guests, many young people participated in the state banquet and exhibited Taiwan's unique characteristics to the world through food and service. In the face of the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the contributions of mechanical and technical personnel have ensured production lines and produced disease prevention supplies. These supplies have provided backup and support to numerous national teams in line with the philosophy of Taiwan Can Help. Using skills to contribute to the world and make the world a better place is why developing skills is important. It is hoped that everyone who participates in the skills competition will accumulate experience and further hone their skills through the competition and go on to carve out their own niche in their respective professional fields.

The MOL stated that this year was the 50^th National Skills Competition, and as such, it was held to international specifications and was the largest skills competition held in 50 years. Nearly one thousand outstanding competitors from various counties and cities were pitted against each other to show off their hard work. The top five winners and runners up from each skill were selected and another 46 qualifying competitors were selected from the youth group to go on to the second stage of the competition held October 21-23. The competitors who come out on top will form the national team that will represent Taiwan in Shanghai in 2021 at the 46^th WorldSkills Competitions.

Keywords: 50^th National Skills Competition, 2020 National Skills Week

The 2020 national model workers and their families were received by President Tsai Ing-Wen, accompanied by Labor Minister Hsu Ming-Chun, on August 25.

The President congratulated the national model workers for their deserved designations; and paid tribute to all model workers and their families. At the same time, she also affirmed the contribution workers make to Taiwan's economy, allowing every citizen to live and work in peace and the economy to develop. President Tsai further stated that the results of Taiwan's pandemic prevention measures are obvious in the eyes of the world, and it is all thanks to Taiwan's workers who have stuck to their posts and worked together to overcome the many difficulties. She also thanked all of Taiwan's workers for working together to prevent the pandemic.

Model worker Chen Zhi-Min, who works for SEYI Machinery, gave a speech as the representative of the workers. He joined the national mask team in response to the pandemic and worked hard to assist in the assembly and testing of mask production machines. He felt a great sense of achievement that his fellow citizens no longer have to worry about not being able to purchase face masks. He also thanked the government for the various relief and revitalization measures rolled out during the pandemic to stabilize Taiwan's economic and social environment.

The Ministry of Labor (MOL) stated that the commendation event and banquet was postponed to August 24 this year because of the pandemic. Labor Minister Hsu Ming-Chun expressed gratitude on behalf of the government to the 2020 national model workers for their contributions to Taiwan's economic development. The model workers' family members, trade unions, and places of employment were also invited to attend and witness the honorable moment of the workers selected as model workers.

The MOL stated at the end that workers are national assets, and that the government will continue to promote various labor policies so workers in Taiwan can have peace of mind as they continue to work hard.

Keywords: National Model Workers, Audience with the President

Labor Minister Hsu Ming-Chun visited the site of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) Fab 18 New Construction in the Southern Taiwan Science Park on July 31 to inspect construction labor safety and heat illness prevention. She reminded the engineering team to implement safety measures and pay attention to the fact that high outdoor temperatures may lead to heat illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps, and ensure the safety and health of workers on the construction project.

Minister Hsu Ming-Chun stated that the number of occupational accidents has increased drastically since the country has entered the hot summer season. Risk assessment and safety and health management should be implemented, and the entry and exit of construction personnel and contractor management strengthened during the construction phase to reduce the risk of occupational hazards. In addition, temperatures have been soaring in Taiwan, and some areas have even recently experienced highs of above 38 or even 39 degrees. It is easy for workers laboring in extremely hot environments to develop heat illnesses. And weather reports predict sunny and hot weather in the future. Employers should implement independent management of heat hazards in accordance with the Guidelines for the Prevention of Heat Illness for Workers Working Outdoors at High Temperatures promulgated by the Ministry of Labor, and use the High Temperature Outdoor Heat Hazard Prevention Information Network to check the heat hazard level of work sites and quickly implement heat illness prevention measures.

TSMC is the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors. It has invested in the construction of Taiwan's fourth ultra-large wafer fab, located in the Southern Taiwan Science Park. Currently, more than 4,000 workers are employed at the site every day. Minister Hsu Ming-Chun calls on TSMC and all construction companies to take appropriate and necessary measures and countermeasures to ensure labor safety and heat illness prevention during the construction and operation processes. This way they will promote occupational safety more actively and effectively, maintain worker health and workplace safety, and act as examples to other businesses. The joint efforts of the government and the private sector are what ensures worker safety.

Keywords: Heat Illness Prevention, High Temperatures, TSMC