The Ministry of Labor (MOL) will ease the cap on the total number of foreign workers employed in Taiwan’s farming sector, increasing the maximum number from 2,400 to 6,000, in an effort to alleviate the labor shortage in the agricultural and farming industry, an official said Thursday.

At the request of the Council of Agriculture (COA), the quota for the employment of migrant workers in the agricultural sector was recently reviewed by the MOL’s Cross-Border Workforce Affairs Center, which advised on an increase, said Paul Su (???), who heads the center.

It was decided that the limit will be raised from 2,400 to 6,000 in total, but the regulations on the types of jobs will be retained, Su said.

It means that migrant farm works can be employed in areas including animal husbandry and fish farming, but they will be barred from jobs such as milking cows and tending orchids, edible mushrooms, and vegetables, he said.

The center’s recommendations also said the COA should ensure that migrant farm workers do not abandon their jobs, as there has been a higher incidence of such actions among that particular group, as compared to Taiwanese workers.

Su said the labor ministry will ask the COA to create guidelines for the selection of migrant farm workers, so that they and their employers will be better informed.

In addition, before the increase takes effect, the COA will be required to take better steps to prevent foreign agricultural laborers from abandoning their jobs, he said, citing a request by the labor ministry.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel