Taipei: Taiwan's labor ministry announced the official launch of a pilot program that enables dispatching foreign care workers to multiple households within a single day, potentially working up to 14 hours in a 24-hour period.According to Focus Taiwan, the "Pilot Program for Diversified Companion Care Services" devised by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) allows commercial and nonprofit organizations to employ foreign care workers and dispatch them to various residences for a minimum of four hours at a time. This initiative aims to provide more flexibility for self-funded care.Traditionally, foreign care workers in Taiwan are employed on a live-in basis, residing with the families who hire them to provide full-time care. The new pilot program, however, seeks to diversify caregiving options and offer flexibility to those in need of care.Applicants for the program must meet specific criteria, such as possessing a disability certificate, proof of severe illness, post-surgery medical records, or requiring long-te rm care from levels 2 to 8, explained Su Yu-kuo, head of the Cross-border Workforce Management Division of the MOL's Workforce Development Agency (WDA). Services may include basic daily care, accompanying individuals on outings or to medical appointments, and offering safe companionship.The minimum caregiving time for any migrant worker dispatched to a residence will be four hours. For 24-hour requests, it must include 10 hours of rest. The MOL has yet to decide on compensation rates for households or foreign care workers under this new plan. Service charges will be determined after organizations submit their proposals, which will be evaluated by a selection committee.The ministry anticipates that at least three commercial or nonprofit organizations will hire around 10 foreign care workers each in the first year of the program. However, there has been criticism from lawmakers and NGOs, which argue that the initiative might undermine Taiwan's domestic workforce, as foreign workers can legally be paid less than their Taiwanese counterparts.As of June's end, there were 241,532 foreign workers employed in caregiving or other social welfare roles in Taiwan, with over three-quarters hailing from Indonesia, according to MOL data.