TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Labour Front (台灣勞工陣線) has voiced opposition to the proposed amendments to the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) on Thursday (Dec. 26), arguing that setting age and illness as criteria for hiring foreign caregivers will impact the job opportunities for domestic long-term care workers and middle-aged employees.
The draft amendments, expected to pass on Friday, will allow seniors over 80 and those aged 70 to 79 with stage II cancer or above to apply for foreign caregivers without a Barthel Index assessment. In response to varying social opinions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (衛福部) and the Ministry of Labor (勞動部) collaborated with diverse groups and experts to propose a multi-faceted standard based on care needs.
Opinions remain polarized, with families of disabled individuals expressing hope, while social welfare, women's, migrant, and labor groups strongly oppose the age-based hiring threshold. Taiwan Labour Front warns that the amendments may hinder Taiwan's public long-term care development and infringe on the rights of various groups, urging KMT legislators to reconsider.
The proposed changes also include a clause allowing the hiring of two foreigners for every Indigenous person employed or payment made to the Comprehensive Development Fund for Indigenous Peoples (原住民族綜合發展基金), raising concerns about Indigenous employment. Taiwan Labour Front advocates for the construction industry to address labor shortages through wage increases and improved working conditions rather than relying on relaxed migrant worker policies.