Ministry halts plan to open 6 jobs categories to foreign students

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has paused its plan to revise regulations that would have allowed foreign students who graduated from Taiwanese universities to work in six types of intermediate-skilled jobs.

In March, the ministry introduced the plan to tackle Taiwan's increasing labor shortage. The National Development Council estimates that Taiwan will face a shortage of 400,000 workers by 2030.

The six types of jobs covered by the planned regulation amendment are assistant nurses, intercity and city bus drivers and safety management system (SMS) personnel, inventory clerks, cargo vehicle drivers and cargo vehicle driving assistants, according to the ministry.

However, the amended regulations released on Wednesday did not include the provision allowing foreign students to access the six job categories.

When asked about the issue, Su Yu-kuo (蘇裕國), division chief at the ministry's Workforce Development Agency, explained that the ministry decided to temporarily suspend the planned measure after receiving suggestions and feedback during the public comment period for the draft amendments.

The ministry will hold internal meetings to discuss and develop complementary measures before making any amendments to the work regulations.

According to data previously provided by the Ministry of Labor, allowing overseas students to take on the six types of intermediate-skilled jobs is expected to add 6,500 workers to Taiwan's workforce.