Origins of the Retention of Foreign Intermediate Skilled Workforce Program

According to the instructions given during the "Special Review Meeting of the New Southbound Policy" convened by President Tsai on July 9, 2021, and following the establishment of the "Meeting of the 5 Ministers’ Population and Immigration Enhancement Policy" by the National Development Council, which included representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Education, Overseas Community Affairs Council, and Ministry of Labor, on August 12, 2021, three working groups were formed to implement specific measures. These groups are "Enhancing Recruitment of Foreign Professionals," "Expanding Attraction and Retention of Overseas Compatriot Students," and "Retention of Foreign Technical Manpower."

In terms of retaining foreign technical manpower, eligible candidates encompass foreign and overseas compatriot students with associate degrees or higher, enabling them to partake in intermediate skilled roles. Moreover, incentives are extended to foreigners (hereinafter referred to as migrant workers) under the age of 30 who are engaged in jobs in Taiwan specified in Subparagraphs 8 to 10, Paragraph 1, Article 46 of the Employment Services Act and who are enrolled in associate degree programs in Taiwan. Upon completion of their academic programs, the students have the option to remain in Taiwan for specialized or intermediate skilled employment. Additionally, migrant workers with over 6 years of work experience in Taiwan are eligible to transition to intermediate skilled roles.

In response to the increasing shortage of intermediate skilled manpower in Taiwan, with the gap increasing year by year (with a shortage of over 130,000 people in 2021), coupled with neighboring countries actively recruiting and retaining excellent foreign technical manpower in recent years, the Executive Yuan approved the "Retention of Foreign Intermediate Skilled Workforce Program" under the "Long-term Retention of Skilled Foreign Workers Program" formulated by the Ministry of Labor on February 17, 2022. This program aims to ensure employment opportunities for Taiwanese nationals while also providing qualified migrant workers and overseas compatriot students with the chance to participate in intermediate skilled technical roles in Taiwan, without imposing any limitations on their tenure of employment. The aim is to retain exceptional and experienced foreign technical professionals in Taiwan and promptly address any shortages in manpower.