Taiwan encourages more women to consider part-time employment

Taiwan needs to do more to remove the stigma that part-time employment is an inferior form of employment and something that people “settle for” due to a lack of options, suggested Mei Chia-yuan, Head of the Department of Statistics at Taiwan’s Ministry of Labour (MOL).

Part-time employment can be beneficial for those having to balance work and family responsibilities, said Mei, as Taiwan looks to increase female labour force participation by encouraging more women to consider part-time jobs.

Employers who hire part-time employees are often more accommodating to those returning to the labour force, while for industries faced with labour shortages, hiring part-time employees is an alternative to fill workforce gaps, Mei added.

According to statistics from MOL, only 3.2% of women were employed in part-time roles in 2021, with Taiwan’s overall female labour participation rate sitting at 51.5%, which is lower than the 53.5% recorded by Japan and South Korea. In all three countries, female labour force participation peaks among women aged 25-29.

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Mei however, acknowledge the challenge faced by employers who need to recruit two part-time employees to cover the workload of one full-time employee. This, she said, can increase personnel costs due to potentially higher turnover and increased need for training, reported Focus Taiwan.