25% of employers violate labor rules for student, part-time workers: MOL

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) Nearly one in four employers in Taiwan failed to comply with labor regulations for student and part-time workers during recent inspections, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Tuesday.

In 2024, the ministry conducted 1,800 labor inspections focusing on the labor rights of these groups, uncovering violations in 448 cases -- a violation rate of 24.89 percent -- including several well-known companies and even state-owned enterprises.

Total fines issued reached NT$12.82 million (US$439,000), the MOL said, adding that three employers were referred to prosecutors for assigning underage workers to night shifts, which is illegal.

The most common violation involved failing to pay correct wages for work performed on designated rest days, accounting for 133 cases, the ministry said.

This was followed by failure to provide double pay for work on national holidays (113 cases), and requiring employees to work more than six consecutive days (109 cases), MOL data showed.

The restaurant industry was the worst offender, accounting for 48 percent of all violations, according to the ministry.

Lin Yu-tang (林毓堂), head of the Ministry of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said at a press conference that the violation rate for student and part-time workers was higher than the 18-20 percent average observed across all industries.

Labor Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) added that the youth unemployment rate in May 2025 stood at 7.57 percent -- down 0.7 and 0.9 percentage points from the same period one and three years ago, respectively. It is also the lowest May figure in 18 years.

The decline suggests that more young people are joining the workforce through summer jobs, either to earn income or gain early exposure to the job market, Hung said, urging employers to fully comply with labor regulations.