Regent Taipei gets approval to hire 37 Indonesian workers

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) Regent Taipei has received government approval to hire 37 Indonesian workers to help address labor shortages in Taiwan's hospitality industry, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Friday.

The hotel received approval on Aug. 13 and can begin making arrangements to bring the workers to Taiwan. According to the MOL, it is the first business in the hospitality sector to recruit foreign intermediate skilled workers under a government initiative launched this year to ease labor shortages.

Regent Taipei selected foreign students who had previously trained at the hotel and performed well during an internship program launched by the government in 2024.

According to the ministry, the students already have experience in hospitality services and are familiar with the local work environment, enabling them to begin work immediately after arriving in Taiwan and adapt quickly to their new roles.

The MOL emphasized that workers recruited under the initiative differ from migrant workers because they must meet specified educational, technical and language requirements to fill frontline service and professional positions in the hospitality industry.

The ministry has established recruitment channels for foreign technical workers from Indonesia and Thailand and reached a preliminary agreement with Vietnam. It has also reached an understanding with the Philippines on signing a memorandum of understanding, with preparations proceeding as planned.

As of mid-August, more than 50 hospitality businesses had applied to recruit workers under the program, seeking to fill more than 500 positions, according to ministry statistics.

The MOL said it will use government-to-government recruitment channels, with the Transnational Workforce Recruitment Center providing consultation and assistance.

The center will offer one-on-one assistance to employers as they complete the domestic recruitment process and apply to hire foreign technical workers, helping shorten the application process, the ministry said.