Taiwan further eases rules on hiring of foreign caregivers

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) will allow families of critically ill individuals to hire migrant workers from other employment categories to increase the supply of caregivers, a ministry official said Wednesday.

The measure will be introduced to avoid the possible negative impact on such families following the launch of a new policy that waives Barthel Index evaluations for Taiwan nationals aged 80 and older looking to hire live-in foreign caregivers.

In 2024 the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Employment Service Act, allowing people aged 80 and older to hire live-in foreign caregivers without undergoing health evaluations based on the Barthel Index -- a clinical scale used to assess an individual's ability to perform daily activities.

The exemption also applies to households with members aged 70 to 79 who have been diagnosed with stage II cancer or above.

The amendment was subsequently promulgated into law. However, while the amended law is expected to benefit an additional 100,000 households by enabling them to apply for caregivers, it may have an impact on the families of critically ill people -- those who suffer from bed-ridden ailments or diseases like dementia.

The concern is that caregivers could choose to take care of seniors not suffering from critical illnesses.

With that in mind, the MOL is currently drafting accompanying measures, with implementation expected by the end of July, Su Yu-kuo (蘇裕國), division chief at the ministry's Workforce Development Agency, told CNA.

To expand the pool of available caregivers, the labor ministry will allow families of members with critical conditions to hire migrant workers across different job categories -- whereas the existing rule requires job transfers within the same employment category, Su said.

However, Su noted that workers from the manufacturing, agricultural or construction sectors who wish to switch to live-in caregiving must first complete 20 hours of supplementary training -- either in-person or online.

As long as the training is completed and both parties agree, the transfer can proceed, he added.

In addition, under the MOL's proposed regulation, patients with mild diseases will no longer need to go through the Ministry of Health and Welfare's long-term care service platform to apply for caregivers.

Instead, employers can post a 7-day job advertisement on the TaiwanJobs website to proceed to the next step. Related measures are expected to launch in late July or August, according to Su.