'One-stop' service for new migrant domestic workers to begin next year

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Wednesday said a new "one-stop service" featuring extended pre-employment training for newly arriving migrant domestic workers, that also makes it easier for employers to apply for all necessary documentation, will be launched from the start of next year.

Currently, migrant workers are required to receive only a 30-minute pre-employment lecture from the relevant authorities on arrival at a Taiwanese airport, Paul Su (蘇裕國), head of the Workforce Development Agency's Cross-Border Workforce Management Division under the MOL, told CNA.

After the brief lecture they are transported to dormitories arranged by their employers to wait for the necessary documentation, including an employment permit, health insurance and residency cards that often take days to process, he said.

However, the half-an-hour lecture has proven inadequate to ensure new migrant workers are familiar with local laws, making it more likely they could inadvertently break the law, he noted.

To improve the service, the MOL will extend pre-employment training to three days starting on Jan. 1, 2023, as part of a new "one-step service" for new migrant domestic workers and their employers, Su said.

This will provide workers with a more thorough review of relevant laws and regulations, as well as ensure they better understand their labor rights and how to find help if they encounter difficulties at work, he said.

The "one-stop" service will also make it easier for employers to apply for the documents their migrant workers need to work in Taiwan, as they will all be provided at the end of the workers' pre-employment training.

When employers pick up their employees on the third day after training is completed they are immediately eligible to work, according to Su.

Locations will be set up in northern Taoyuan and southern Kaohsiung cities to house the newly arrived migrant workers and provide the three-day training instruction, with all expenses covered by the MOL, Su said.

According to the ministry, the new program will begin with newly arrived migrant domestic workers before being expanding to include all migrant workers.