Taiwan ends short-term contract extensions for migrant workers

The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has announced that it will end a programme that allowed employers of migrant workers to apply for short-term extensions.
By: | November 27, 2020
Topics: Employment Law | News | Restructuring | Taiwan

Launched in May this year amid the pandemic, the programme permitted employers to apply for three-to-six-month contract extensions for migrant workers with expiring contracts.

These migrant workers were unable to return to their home countries as many countries implemented travel bans and closed borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The programme was extended in July due to high demand, said Focus Taiwan. 

The MOL said it was ending the programme with immediate effect. Section chief at the MOL’s Workforce Development Agency (WDA) Hsueh Chien-chung said the decision was made after a review revealed that these short-term extensions were increasing the burden on both employers and the MOL.

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The termination of the programme would normalise employer-employeee relations and reduce administrative procedures. The decision was made in view that many countries are now reopening their borders, enabling migrant workers to return to their home countries, he said. 

Since the programme was launched, 1,989 applications had been made as of November 15th. Most of the applicants were made on behalf of migrant workers from the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the WDA.